Cross-State Variations and time Trends in Opioid use Disorder among a Privately Insured Nonelderly Population in the United States.

Author(s): Bibo Jiang, Li Wang, Douglas Leslie.

Objectives: To describe cross-state variations and time trends in Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) among privately insured individuals in the U.S. from 2005-2015 and investigate the demographic differences between OUD patients in states most affected by the epidemic compared to the remaining states.

Methods: The MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database was used to calculate the state-level prevalence of OUD. We analyzed the level and time change of OUD prevalence in each state from 2005 to 2015. A one-sided exact Fisher test was used to analyze the demographic differences between OUD patients in states most affected by the epidemic and the remaining states.

Results: Cross-state variations of the opioid epidemic among the privately insured population were substantial. Demographic patterns of the epidemic were similar across states. The 18-34 age group was the most affected group with the highest prevalence. The 55-64 age group experienced the most rapid increase of OUD prevalence, especially in states that were most affected by the epidemic.

Conclusions: The alarming increase in OUD prevalence among the 55-64 age group might indicate the need to improve prescription drug monitoring programs for this subpopulation, especially in those harder-hit states.