Of the $12.9 billion, $5.7 billion was spent on treatment in ambulatory settings and $2.4 billion was spent on prescription drugs. AHRQ also found private insurance paid 68 percent of the cost while 15 percent was paid out of pocket. Medicaid and Medicare paid 10 percent and 3 percent respectively.
Chronic Pain Care for Women Cost $12.9B in 2008
In 2008, 12.1 million women reported suffering from chronic pain, but only 8.7 of those reported receiving treatment — at a cost of $12.9 billion, according to the News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and a HealthNewsDigest.com report.
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