Missouri hospitals have seen substantially more patients due to incidents related to painkiller addiction in the last 10 years, according to KOMU 8.
Here are four things to know:
1. Hospital utilization for opioid overuse rose 137 percent between 2005 and 2014.
2. Thirty percent of patients who visited hospitals for opioid overuse in 2014 were uninsured, as reported in a study by The Missouri Hospital Association.
3. This rise in uninsured patients represents a 268 percent increase from ten years prior.
4. Various factors may contribute to the prevalence of opioid abuse, with some law officials claiming society is a contributing factor.
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