Insurance data shows a surge in spending on opioid treatment and testing

Drug users in recovery listen to a counselor at a treatment center in Westborough, Mass., in March. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
The nation’s opioid problem comes with staggering physical and emotional costs to patients and families. But the financial burden on the health system has been harder to peg.
A report set to be released Tuesday shows a more than thirteenfold increase in spending by health insurers in a four-year period on patients with a diagnosis of opioid dependence or ab