AHRQ Stats: Opioid Prescription Expenses

Opioid outpatient prescription expenses totaled $7.7 billion for adults in 2017. Nearly three-quarters of that amount was spent for hydrocodone ($3.5 billion) and oxycodone ($2.2 billion). (Source: AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #529: Total Expenses, Total Utilization, and Sources of Payment for Outpatient Prescription Opioids in the U.S. Adult Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2017.)