Report: Opioid Dependence Soars Among the Privately Insured

Health insurance claims with an opioid dependence diagnosis rose 3,200% from 2007 to 2014, according to new study from FAIR Health, a national nonprofit that analyzes health care costs. The study, in which the organization analyzed its database of more than 20 billion privately billed health care claims, also found that claims with a diagnosis of opioid dependence or heroin overdose occurred overwhelmingly in patients 19 to 35 years old. Opioid dependence was more common in men, the study found, but the difference narrowed in patients 46 to 55 years old. “Unlike earlier opioid abu...