Crime and costs: Calculating addiction’s deadly tab

While financial costs pale in comparison to lives destroyed, widespread prescription drug abuse has increased crime, clogged the court system and robbed the state, private insurers and healthcare consumers of millions of dollars.

Investigations of deceitful practices by both patients and medical professionals are on the rise, says Darrell Langlois, director of financial investigations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and chairman of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

“Statewide, we’re seeing more arrests than ever before,” he says. In 2009, Langlois’ division saved Blue Cross $6 million—$4 million of which involved pharmaceutical claims. “It’s a bit of an anomaly to be quite that high,” he admits. “Normally, it’s 20% (of total savings).”

Of the roughly $28 billion spent statewide on health care, Langlois estimates fraud costs public and private insurers $900 million to $2 billion a year. Pharmacy fraud represents an estimated $180 million to $400 million—approximately $100 per year for each insured individual.

Although the Baton Rouge Police Department hasn’t reported a spike in violent crime associated with prescription drugs, the courts and law enforcement have been deluged with cases such as these:

• The East Baton Rouge Parish School System disciplined a suburban 9th grader who had “pharmed” anti-psychotic and seizure medications from home and brought them on campus presumably to distribute.

• A security guard fabricated a story about being attacked and even stabbed herself to obtain pain medication.

• A broke college student was arrested for drug distribution after selling his attention deficit disorder medication to make some cash at the end of his semester.

• A local attorney with longstanding pain from failed orthopedic surgery was charged with possession of marijuana and oxycodone, which was illegally acquired after a prescription ran out.

• Two Loranger Elementary School Santa’s Workshop volunteers were arrested for exchanging a prescription sedative.