Although national statistics indicate that opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose fatalities have been decreasing since 2023, recent findings imply that the opioid crisis is still ongoing.
From 2022 to 2025, there was nearly a 33% rise in the number of individuals diagnosed with OUD — which encompasses addictions to opioids such as morphine, heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl — by healthcare professionals.
Interestingly, the hardest-hit demographics might not be what you’d expect. In fact, young adults under 30 represented the smallest portion of those diagnosed.
What researchers found
While it’s true that not every individual with OUD is insured, a significant number of those with an opioid addiction do possess health coverage, which can facilitate access to treatment.
In 2022, there were 449 OUD diagnoses for every 100,000 patients, and by 2025, that number had elevated to 596 per 100,000 — nearly a one-third increase, as reported by FAIR Health.
Receiving a diagnosis is crucial for treatment, which can enable access to medications such as suboxone, methadone, and naltrexone, all of which help alleviate cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Out of those diagnosed, a majority — about 56.1% — were men. The age group with the highest incidence of OUD was 41 to 50 years old, making up 28.1% of diagnoses, followed closely by those aged 31 to 40 and 51 to 65.
Patients over 65 represented 10.7% of diagnoses, while those aged 23 to 30 accounted for 7.2%. A mere 2% of cases were in patients aged 22 and younger.
Tennessee led in OUD cases with 1,551 patients per 100,000, followed by West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Delaware.
Among all insurance claims related to OUD, 39% were for substance abuse services and treatments, 21% for drug screening, 14% for emergency room visits, and 8% for psychiatric and psychological care.
Changing opioid use
Initially, opioid-related deaths surged due to prescription medications, later due to heroin, and most recently from fentanyl. In 2023 alone, 217 individuals died daily from opioid overdoses.
However, a significant change occurred in 2023 when annual opioid-related deaths began to decline for the first time since 2018, and this trend has continued.
A pivotal factor in this change was a 2022 update in prescription guidelines from the CDC, recommending that non-opioid pain relievers be considered first and that, if opioids are necessary, they should be administered at the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible.
Increased awareness and access to medications have also played a role in this decline.
For instance, methadone decreases the risk of death by half for those struggling with opioid addiction, but historically, patients had to visit treatment centers multiple times a week. Policy changes now permit them to take home a month’s supply, which significantly reduces the chance of overdose.
Moreover, there are programs in place that monitor prescriptions for controlled substances, which helps prevent individuals from obtaining prescriptions from multiple doctors, commonly referred to as “doctor shopping.”
While FAIR Health doesn’t offer explicit reasons for the uptick in OUD diagnoses, their data might not contradict the CDC’s findings indicating a reduction in broader addiction rates.
It’s possible that more individuals with existing conditions are simply accessing the help they need. This increase could be due to a greater number of healthcare facilities offering OUD treatment, more available medications like methadone, or insurance policies that cover the necessary consultations, screenings, and medications.
