Deaths from suicide, alcohol and drug overdoses at all-time high

Drug overdose nationally rose 115 per cent in 15 years, but different states impacted in differing ways

Then deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein testified to Congress about rise in drug overdose deaths two years ago (Getty)

Deaths from suicide, alcohol and drug overdose are at an all-time high in the US, new study reveals.

The research was conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, a healthcare advocacy group, with the aim to assess all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 47 aspects of access to health care, quality of care, service use and costs of care, health outcomes, and income-based health care disparities. The data are from 2017 and are presented in its 2019 scorecard.

While the numbers nationally are striking, different states have been affected at various degrees, and the past couple years have shown a higher increase than previous ones.

Deaths from drug overdoses were at least five times higher in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio, than numbers for alcohol-related mortality and about three times higher than suicide rates.

The opioid epidemic has been notable for several years, yet the rates don’t seem to be dropping significantly. Research found that drug overdose deaths more than doubled across the country between 2005 and 2017. West Virginia had the highest rates and a 450 per cent increase, according to the report.

Two years ago, the department of health and human services, HHS, declared a public health emergency, and Tom Price, then the department secretary, announced a strategy for fighting the opioid crisis, saying this “is not the time for sugarcoating facts or fussing over terminology”.

“We have unimaginably lethal drugs, like fentanyl and carfentanil, pouring into our communities and instantly becoming best sellers because of their reputation for delivering a high so powerful that it can kill you with just one hit,” he said. “We must begin with a clear-eyed understanding of the problem of drug addiction and overdose in America today.”

Despite the announcement, at least 47,000 people die from opioids every year. That’s more than 130 deaths a day, according to HHS.

On the other hand, states, including North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming showed higher numbers of deaths from suicide and alcohol than from drugs.

The study also found that death rates strongly correlate health care coverage. States that ranked lowest on the scorecard had the greatest number of uninsured residents.

Although uninsured rates have dropped between 2013 and 2017, following the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion. States that expanded Medicaid saw the largest reductions.

Five of the 17 stages that haven’t expanded Medicaid had the highest number of residents without health coverage.

The research also pointed out that health care costs along with premiums and deductibles are rising more rapidly than the U.S. median income. These are all driving factors of consumers, whether they will enrol in insurance or get health care.