The Societal Cost of Heroin Use Disorder in the United States

ABSTRACT

Objective

Heroin use in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. The objective of this paper is to estimate the annual societal cost of heroin use disorder in the United States in 2015 US dollars.

Methods

An analytic model was created that included incarceration and crime, treatment for heroin use disorder, chronic infectious diseases (HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Tuberculosis) and their treatments, treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome, lost productivity, and death by heroin overdose.

Results

Using literature-based estimates to populate the model, the cost of heroin use disorder was estimated to be $51.2 billion in 2015 US dollars ($50,799 per heroin user). One-way sensitivity analyses showed that overall cost estimates were sensitive to the number of heroin users, cost of HCV treatment, and cost of incarcerating heroin users.

Conclusion

The annual cost of heroin use disorder to society in the United States emphasizes the need for sustained investment in healthcare and non-healthcare related strategies that reduce the likelihood of abuse and provide care and support for users to overcome the disorder.