CNA: Claims from Manufacturing and Construction Have Higher Opioid Spending

Spending on opioids appears to be particularly high when it comes to work injuries in the construction and manufacturing industries, according to research from the insurance carrier CNA. In 2013, opioids accounted for almost 14% of the total drug spend in the manufacturing industry and nearly 20% of drug spending in construction, compared with about 12% for all other industries, according to a pair of reports from CNA. The company pulled together claims data from 2009-2013 and found that, while opioids were becoming a smaller part of the medication spend across claims from all industries, the...