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| THE RISKS |
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Almost 10% of the American population is dependent on or abuses alcohol and drugs: An estimated 21.6 million persons aged 12 or older in 2003 were classified with substance dependence or abuse (9.1 percent of the total population). (Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963). Rockville, MD)
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The majority of people are dependent on or abuse alcohol not illicit drugs: 14.8 million were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs, 3.8 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs only, 3.1 million were classified with dependence on or abuse of both. (Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963). Rockville, MD)
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More than 18 million alcohol abusers and 5 million illicit drug abusers need treatment, but only a small number receive it. (Source: Substance Abuse: The Nation’s Number One Health Problem, Brandeis University, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, 2001)
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One in 9 children ages 12 to 17 are dependent on or abuse drugs and alcohol: In 2003, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 8.9 percent for youths aged 12 to 17; (Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963). Rockville, MD)
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One in 5 persons ages 18-25 are dependent on or abuse alcohol and drugs: In 2003, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 21.0 percent for persons aged 18 to 25; and 7.0 percent for persons aged 26 or older. (Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963). Rockville, MD)
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The number of American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent rose from 13.8 million (7.41%) in 1991-1992 to 17.6 million (8.46%) in 2001-2002. In 2003, the number rose even more to 21.6 million people. (Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.)
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Drug related deaths have almost doubled since 1990--approximately one in four deaths each year is attributable to substance abuse. (Source: Substance Abuse: The Nation’s Number One Health Problem, Brandeis University, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, 2001.)
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More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking. (Source: Position Paper on Drug Policy, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP), Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, 2000)
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More than 9 million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. (Source: Position Paper on Drug Policy, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP), Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, 2000)
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Rates of alcohol abuse and dependence in 2001-2002 were substantially higher in men than women and among individuals aged 18-29 and 30-44 years. (Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.)
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Alcohol abuse is more prevalent among whites than among Hispanics, Blacks and Asians; alcohol dependence is more prevalent among Native Americans, Hispanics and whites than among Asians. (Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.)
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| PREVALENCE IN THE WORKPLACE |
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Most adults with substance dependence or abuse [are] employed either full or part time. Of the 19.4 million adults classified with dependence or abuse, 14.9 million (76.8 percent) were employed. (Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963). Rockville, MD)
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Alcohol is the single most used and abused drug in America. (Source: Office of Work/Life Programs, U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 2004
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Alcoholism causes 500 million lost workdays each year. (Source: Background Information About Workplace Substance Abuse, U.S Department of Labor Workplace Substance Abuse web site.
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Of the 51.1 million adult binge drinkers in 2002, 40.8 million (80 percent) were employed either full or part time. Similarly, 12 million (79 percent) of the 15.2 million adult heavy drinkers were employed. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor Substance Abuse Information Database, 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.)
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A 58% majority of employers acknowledged that managers avoid addressing alcoholism in their employees. (Source: The Road to Recovery: A Landmark National Study on Public Perceptions of Alcoholism and Barriers to Treatment. Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. 1998.)
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50% of employees surveyed supported random alcohol testing during the workday; nearly 75% of employees in manufacturing or transportation jobs supported testing. (Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Perspectives for Worksite Alcohol Strategies: Results from a Corporate Drinking Study, December 1998. As reported in Drug Strategies, Millennium Hangover: Keeping Score on Alcohol, 1999)
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A Federal government survey revealed that of personnel within the transportation industry consisting of heavy and light load truck drivers, vehicle repairers and bus drivers, 65.9% reported using illicit drugs within the past year and 51% reported heavy alcohol use. (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (1999). Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs: Results from the 1994-1997 NHSDA.)
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| WHAT EMPLOYERS THINK |
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The majority of employee managers (83%) believe its better for a company’s bottom-line to help employees recover from addiction than it is to terminate them for alcohol-related incidents. (Source: The Road to Recovery: A Landmark National Study on Public Perceptions of Alcoholism and Barriers to Treatment. Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. 1998.)
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Nearly 60% of managers and supervisors say their companies are "tough" on illicit drugs but "soft" on alcohol. (Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Perspectives for Worksite Alcohol Strategies: Results from a Corporate Drinking Study, December 1998. As reported in Drug Strategies, Millennium Hangover: Keeping Score on Alcohol, 1999.)
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More than 60% of adults know someone who has reported for work under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. (Source: Hazelden Foundation. (1996). Addiction in the Workplace Survey.)
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One in five workers report that they have had to work harder, redo work or cover for a co-worker or have been put in danger or injured as a result of a fellow employee’s drinking.( Source: Mangione, T.W., et al. (1998). New Perspectives for Worksite Alcohol Strategies: Results for a Corporate Drinking Study. Boston, MA: JSI Research and Training Institute.)
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60% of alcohol-related work performance problems can be attributed to employees who are not alcohol dependent, but who occasionally drink too much on a work night or drink during a weekday lunch. (Source: TW Mangione, et. al, "New Perspectives for Worksite Alcohol Strategies: Results from a Corporate Drinking Study," JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., Boston, MA, 12/98.)
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Among the population of full-time employed current illicit drug users: 44% work for small establishments (1-24 employees); 43% work for medium establishments (25-499 employees); 13% work for large establishments (500 or more employees). (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (1999). Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs: Results from the 1994 and 1997 NHSDA.)
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| THE COSTS OF UNTREATED ADDICTION TO SOCIETY |
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Untreated addiction costs America approximately $400 billion per year (Source: Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem, Brandeis University, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, 2001)
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Untreated addiction is more expensive than 3 of the nation's top 10 killers : heart disease -- $351 billion/ year (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_heartdisease/), diabetes--$132 billion a year (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_ddt.htm), and cancer-- $170 billion/year (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/pe_factsheets/pe_cancer.htm)
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Untreated addiction and alcohol abuse contribute to 5 of the 6 most costly health conditions in a health plan's direct medical expenses. (Source: Mertens, J, Lu, Y, Parthasarathy, S, Moore, C, Weisner, C. Medical and Psychiatric Conditions of Alcohol and Drug Treatment Patients in an HMO, Arch Intern Med 2003; 163:2511-2517)
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Heavy drinking contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: heart disease, cancer and stroke. (Source: Position Paper on Drug Policy, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP), Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, 2000)
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Almost 20% of all Medicaid hospital costs and nearly $1 of every $4 Medicare spends on inpatient hospital care is associated with substance abuse. (Source: Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem, Brandeis University, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, 2001))
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The U.S. Small Business Administration reports drug-free workplace programs costs $22-$50 per employee compared to estimated annual costs of $640 incurred by each untreated substance abusing employee. (Source: Substance Abuse in Brief, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, January 1999.)
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Aetna Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan showed overall health care costs of alcoholics rose from $130 to $1,370 per month prior to treatment and dropped to $190 per month three years after treatment. (Source: Substance Abuse in Brief, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, January 1999.)
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In 1998, the estimated costs of alcohol disorders and their social consequences were $185 billion. Of this sum, direct treatment and health care costs account for 14%; reduced worker productivity for 47%; and lost productivity due to premature deaths for 20%. Almost 39% of these costs were spread across the U.S. population in the form of increased burdens on government budgets. (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, On the Frontiers of Knowledge: 30 Years of Alcohol Research, NIAAA Strategic Plan 2001-2005.)
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| SOCIAL AND MEDICAL BARRIERS TO TREATMENT |
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| INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING WITH ADDICTION RECEIVE LESS CARE |
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| VIOLENCE |
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| BENEFITS OF TREATMENT |
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| TREATMENT WORKS |
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Treatment of addiction is as successful as treatment of other chronic diseases, diabetes, hypertension and asthma (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 1999)
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Drug treatment reduces drug use by 40-60%. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 1999)
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One year of methadone treatment costs $4700 per patient--one year of imprisonment is $18,400. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 1999.)
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For every $1 spent on treatment yields a return of up to $7 in a reduction of drug related crime and criminal justice costs. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 1999)
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When adding savings related to health care, the savings exceed costs by a ratio of 12:1. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, 1999)
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Treatment saves money: A Chevron Corporation analysis indicated that $10 is saved for every $1 spent on employee rehabilitation (figure does not include savings for reduction in workplace accidents as a result of employee rehabilitation) (Source: Chevron Corporation, Testimony on Workplace Substance-Abuse Prevention Programs before the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, U.S. House of Representatives, June 1996).
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Treatment Works: According to American Airlines, 75% to 80% of employees who received alcohol and other drug treatment had remained abstinent from substances through the entirety of the one-year monitoring activities. (Source: John Saylor, Manager of Employee Assistance Programs for AMR Corporation and for American Airlines, AMR’s largest subsidiary, July 28, 1998 testimony before the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.)
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The largest study to date on the benefits of substance abuse treatment was conducted by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center and Lewin-VHI of Fairfax, Virginia for the State of California Health and Welfare Agency’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in 1994.
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State-wide emergency room admissions dropped by 1/3 after treatment
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The initial cost for treating 150,000 people totaled $200M, the cost savings totaled $1.5 billion. Each day of treatment paid for itself primarily through savings incurred by avoidance of crime—benefits to California taxpayers equaled or exceeded the costs.
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Crime declined by two-thirds from before treatment to after treatment. The greater the length of time spent in treatment, the greater the percent reduction in criminal activity.
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Treatment for addiction to major stimulant drugs (crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, and methamphetamine), proved equally effective to treatment for alcohol problems, and somewhat more effective than treatment for heroin problems
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| COSTS FOR TREATMENT PARITY IN HEALTH PLANS |
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Providing parity for drug and alcohol treatment services does NOT increase health insurance premiums significantly: The most current governmental and private actuarial studies indicate that parity in health insurance plans costs a maximum of $1 per month of all studies conducted: |
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Substance abuse treatment services can be made available to employees for $5.11 a year, or 43¢ per month. (Source: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, May 1999. How Expensive Are Unlimited Substance Abuse Benefits Under Managed Care? By Roland Sturm, Ph.D.)
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According to the actuarial firm of Milliman and Robertson, substance abuse parity will increase premiums by less than one percent or less than $1 per family member per month. (Source: Milliman & Robertson, Inc., 1997. Premium Estimates for Substance Abuse Parity Provisions for Commercial Health Insurance Products.)
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A Dept. Health and Human Services (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) study found that “if parity was limited to substance abuse, premiums would rise by only 0.2 percent.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) March 1998 study examined expansion of mental health and substance abuse insurance benefits found that “based on an updated actuarial model, full parity for mental health and substance abuse services is estimated to increase premiums by 3.6 percent, on average. Mental health accounts for most of this increase.” (Source: SAMHSA, March 1998)
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5 states with parity in their health plans (California, Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota and Washington) found that costs associated with substance abuse benefits tend to have little impact on premiums or the overall spending of insurance companies and that the initial costs are offset by the resultant social benefits of treatment (The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s Office of Managed Care and the Center for Mental Health Services)
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| WHAT AMERICA THINKS ABOUT THE DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT OF THOSE IN OR SEEKING RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION |
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| ON VOTING FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS |
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© 2002-2004 Partnership for Recovery
101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Suite 675 East, Washington, DC 20001 |
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