Average Annual Total Expenses, Total Utilization, and Sources of Payment for Outpatient Prescription Opioids in the U.S. Adult Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2021-2022

Utilization of and expenditures for opioids for pain management continue to be critical areas of research due to the significant impact these medications have on both public health and the economy. Despite the significant decline in prescription opioid use since 2011, as evidenced by previous publications showing a reduction in total opioid fills and refills from 152.8 million in 2015 to 110.4 million in 2017, the opioid crisis remains a serious concern, as the crisis continues to be marked by high rates of misuse, addiction, and overdose deaths. The financial burden of outpatient prescription opioids on the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized adult population is substantial, reflecting both high total payments and significant out-of-pocket expenses. This Statistical Brief investigates opioid utilization and expenditures among adults (ages 18 and older) within the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population. Utilizing data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC), we provide estimates of total expenses, total fills, and sources of payment for outpatient prescription opioids for pain. Additionally, the brief presents the same measures for the top five opioid products ranked by total expenses in 2021-2022: Oxycodone, hydrocodone, tramadol, morphine, and codeine. Because of methodological and definitional differences, readers should use caution when comparing MEPS estimates of opioid expenditures and utilization with estimates from other sources. Details on the MEPS methodology and differences with other sources are included in the Definitions section of this Statistical Brief.