An Employer Solution for the Chronic Disease Management of
Substance Use Disorder
Widespread Epidemic
75% of Americans with untreated substance use disorder are in the workforce. No workplace is unaffected. In some industries, the rate of substance use disorders among employees reaches a staggering 19%.
Enormous Healthcare Costs
The estimated total healthcare cost of substance use disorder in the United States is $740 billion and growing (NIDA, 2020). On average, employees and covered dependents with undiagnosed substance use disorder add an extra $1267 per person annually to the cost of coverage for employers who support a portion of family health insurance premiums.
Many Costs Are Hidden
Costs to employers associated with substance use disorder also come in the form of absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover cost. Employees with substance use disorder miss two more weeks of work per year due to illness or injury, and they are 40% more likely to switch jobs at least once in a 12-month period.
People Need Help
Substance Use Disorder affects so many of us. No one can fight it alone. We owe it to the people in our lives to open doors and provide care paths to long-term sustainable recovery.
Workers with opioid use disorder are four times as likely to have co-occurring anxiety or depression.
22% of individuals hospitalized for treatment of substance use disorder are readmitted within 30 days.
References for Data Quoted Herein: Goplerud, Eric PhD; Hodge, Sarah MPH; Benham, Tess BS A Substance Use Cost Calculator for US Employers With an Emphasis on Prescription Pain Medication Misuse, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: November 2017 – Volume 59 – Issue 11 – p 1063-1071 doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001157