The widespread opioid epidemic in the U.S. claims the lives of 60,000 Americans every year. Millions are treated for chronic pain with prescribed opioid medicines to help treat their conditions. Arizona health officials have declared a public health emergency in our state.
A recent study of participants over the age of 50, calculated how much individuals would pay daily, to live pain-free. What’s the monetary value of getting rid of it or avoiding it altogether?
The survey asked respondents three main questions. 1) How satisfied they were with their lives in general 2) How much money they earned in the past year 3) Question-“Are you often troubled with pain?” The study’s purpose is to estimate how much money it would take for a person to achieve the life satisfaction of someone who does not experience chronic pain.
To boil it down; how much would you pay to be happy, without pain?
The answer? Between $56 and $145 per day. These figures add up to between $20,000 to $53,000 per year to be pain-free. Some folks would give up their yearly earnings, just to live without pain.
Two factors of influence; pain severity and overall income. The more income you earn, the more a person would pay to be rid of it and the more pain you are in, the more you’d pay to make it stop.
Americans living in pain are willing to pay to get out of pain. It’s obvious that anyone would want to live a pain-free life, if possible. Based on current pricing, a patient can purchase a 120 day supply of Oxycodone for about $20 (with insurance). For those who are willing to spend up to $145 per day for pain relief, $20 for a 120 day supply is quite a value.
The opioid crisis has no easy answers, especially for sufferers of chronic pain. Finding a balance between treating patients for pain and preventing overdoses will be an ongoing challenge.
Resource: Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has released a statement on how Arizona is dealing with the opioid crisis.
