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Report

Chronic pain prevalence, cost, and connections to opioid use

ByFrederick (Fritz) Busch, and Ellyn Russo
17 July 2023

Ethos Laboratories, a national laboratory specializing in pain diagnostics, recently hired Milliman to explore healthcare costs for individuals with a recorded diagnosis of chronic and other pain conditions, based on prescription fills or opioid-related diagnosis codes. Using claims data, we estimate cost differences among cohorts for members insured under different sources of health benefits coverage—employer-sponsored commercial health insurance plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Managed Medicaid Illinois plans. In the report, we discuss these key findings: 

  • Prevalence of chronic and other pain diagnoses and evidence of opioid use
  • Healthcare costs for members

This report was commissioned by Ethos Laboratories.


About the Author(s)

Frederick (Fritz) Busch

Ellyn Russo

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