A single prescription drug abuser who shops around for doctors who will prescribe drugs to them costs insurance companies in the United States between $10,000 to $15,000 per person.
The financial impact to the criminal justice system due to prescription drug abuse is reported to be $8.2 Billion.
The overall impact to insurance companies due to prescription drug abuse is estimated to be over $70 Billion a year.
(Information on prescription drug abuse.)
Source: James O’Toole, “How prescription drug abuse costs you money,” CNN, February 24, 2012.