4
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
5
KEY FINDINGS According to American Society of
8 9
Addiction Medicine (ASAM), opioid
abuse costs employers approximately
$10 billion from absenteeism and
presenteeism alone. Despite the
TOP 25 CITIES TOP 25 CITIES breadth and seriousness of this crisis,
BASED ON ABUSE BASED ON
RATE PERCENTAGE OF Americas employers lack a true
PRESCRIPTIONS
understanding of how it impacts
10 11
ABUSED
individuals in the workforce and
their families. Castlight developed
this first-of-its-kind study on opioid
CONCLUSION KEY abuse by examining de-identified
RECOMMENDATIONS
and anonymous health data reporting
12 13
from Americans insured by large
employers who use our product.
METHODOLOGY REFERENCES
MEDICAL MEDICAL
PRESCRIPTIONS SPENDING AGE MARIJUANA
One out of every three Opioid abusers cost Baby boomers are four States with medical
(32%) opioid prescriptions employers nearly twice times more likely to marijuana laws have a
is being abused. as much in healthcare abuse opioids than lower opioid abuse rate
Millennials. than those that dont.
expenses on average
than non-abusers.
BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH PAIN INCOME GEOGRAPHY
Patients with a behavioral Opioid abusers have Individuals living in Opioid abusers are
health diagnosis of any kind twice as many pain- Americas lowest income more likely to live in
are three times more likely related conditions as areas are twice as likely the rural South than in
to abuse opioids than those non-abusers. to abuse opioids as those other regions.
without one. living in the highest
income areas.
Based on this research, Castlight recommends that employers take the following two actions: (1) Take a segmented and
analytics-based approach to opioid abuse; and (2) guide employees to benefit programs to meet opioid abuse-related needs.
The difference
32% in total medical
costs for 2015
Percent of opioid between opioid
prescriptions abusers and
received by abusers non-abusers
4.5%
40%
Percent of individuals
who received an opioid
prescription that are abusers Percent of opioid
prescription spending
attributed to abusers
2.8%
opioid prescription their opioid
55-59 17.6% 7.4% 7.4%
Baby prescription
60-64 13.6% 7.3% Boomers
OPIOID ABUSERS
ARE MORE LIKELY TO
LIVE IN THE RURAL 24 21
SOUTH.
22 out of the top 25 cities for
opioid abuse rate are primarily
rural and located in Southern 14
states. Opioid abuse rates
range from 11.6% of individuals
in Wilmington, NC to 7.5% of 19
individuals in Fort Smith, AR who
18 12
received an opioid prescription. 9 5
Alabama, Florida, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas
have multiple cities that are in the 13
4 16
25
22 20
7 1
top 25 for opioid abuse rate. The 8
three non-Southern cities in the 10 11
top 25 are: Terre Haute, IN; Elmira,
NY; and Jackson, MI. 15
17
2
23 6 3
BASED ON
ABUSE RATE
TOP 1.
2.
Wilmington, NC >11.6%
Anniston, AL 11.6%
9. Johnson City-
Bristol,TN-VA 8.6%
16. Oklahoma
City, OK 8.0%
22.
23.
Jackson, TN
Baton Rouge, LA
7.7%
7.5%
25
3. Panama City, FL 11.5% 10. Texarkana, TX-AR 8.5% 17. Longview, TX 8.0% 24. Jackson, MI 7.5%
4. Enid, OK 10.2% 11. Tuscaloosa, AL 8.2% 18. Fayetteville, NC 7.9% 25. Fort Smith, AR 7.5%
5. Hickory, NC 9.9% 12. Jacksonville, NC 8.2% 19. Evansville-
CITIES
6. Pensacola, FL 9.8% 13. Amarillo, TX 8.1% Henderson, IN-KY 7.8%
7. Gadsden, AL 9.1% 14. Terre Haute, IN 8.1% 20. Chattanooga, TN 7.7%
8. Montgomery, AL 8.8% 15. Odessa, TX 8.0% 21. Elmira, NY 7.7%
9
BASED ON
PERCENTAGE OF
PRESCRIPTIONS
ABUSED
TOP 1. Elmira, NY 55.1% 8. Gadsden, AL 48.1% 13. Johnson City- 19. Texarkana, TX-AR 45.1%
25
2. Flagstaff, AZ 54.8% 9. Ft Pierce-Port St. Bristol,TN-VA 46.7% 20. Rochester, MN 45.0%
3. Enid, OK 54.7% Lucie, FL 47.4% 14. Anniston, AL 46.6% 21. Wausau, WI 44.6%
4. Wilmington, NC 53.8% 10. Amarillo, TX 47.1% 15. Fayetteville, NC 46.5% 22. Billings, MT 44.4%
CITIES
5. Pittsfield, MA 53.6% 11. Pensacola, FL 47.0% 16. Hickory, NC 46.1% 23. Killeen, TX 43.9%
6. Bismarck, ND 53.2% 12. Oklahoma City, 17. Baton Rouge, LA 46.1% 24. Jacksonville, FL 43.7%
7. Panama City, FL 51.6% OK 46.8% 18. Charlottesville, VA 45.6% 25. Jackson, MI 43.5%
5
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Cited in:
10
Estimate based on Castlight analysis.
Workforce. Pain Points. Available at: http://www.workforce.
11
ASAM.
com/articles/21855-pain-points.
12
Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. Healthcare Cost
6
Ibid.
and Utilization Project: Clinical Classifications Software (CCS)
for ICD-9-CM. Available at: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/
toolssoftware/ccs/ccs.jsp.