The total cost of substance abuse and addiction to the Commonwealth in 2005, the most recent year for which aggregate data are available, was more than $4.5 billion, which represented 21.8 percent of the total state budget in 2005, according to the 2009 report by the OxyContin and Heroin Commission. Out of the more than $4.5 billion, 98 percent represents the cost to public programs, which includes spending on justice, education, mental health services, and public safety, according to the report. Private insurance payments for substance abuse treatment decreased 11 percent from 1991 to 2001 while public payments increased by 68 percent, the report noted.
Cost of Methadone and Suboxone
2009
$276,000,000
Number Serviced
14,000
Average Cost per person
$19,799
Cost of Methadone and Suboxone
2009
$49,000,000
Number of Doctors
400
2010
$20,956,000
Number Serviced
8,400
Average Cost per person
$2,494
Cost of Addiction Care Massachusetts
2005
$4,500,000,000
21.8% of the State Budget
Cost of Addiction Care in Massachusetts 