Watch: As Opioid Settlement Money Starts to Flow, States and Local Officials Debate How to Use It

August 11, 2023

Over 18 years, more than $50 billion in settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies that made and sold opioid painkillers will be paid to state and local governments across the country. But the debate around how this money should be spent is just beginning. PBS NewsHour featured KFF Health News’ Aneri Pattani as it reported on how this debate is playing out in North Carolina and Ohio.

July 31

Aug. 1

Additional Reporting

Click here to hear Pattani on NPR.
Read Pattani’s “Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash.”

An older woman sits in a darkened room and is illuminated by light through a window.

Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash

Opioid manufacturers and distributors are paying more than $54 billion in restitution to settle lawsuits about their role in the overdose epidemic, with little oversight on how the money is spent. We’re tracking how state and local governments use — or misuse — the cash.

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Watch: As Opioid Settlement Money Starts to Flow, States and Local Officials Debate How to Use It

August 11, 2023

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<h1>Watch: As Opioid Settlement Money Starts to Flow, States and Local Officials Debate How to Use It</h1>

<p>Over 18 years, more than $50 billion in settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies that made and sold opioid painkillers will be paid to state and local governments across the country. But the debate around how this money should be spent is just beginning. PBS NewsHour featured KFF Health News’ Aneri Pattani as it reported on how this debate is playing out in North Carolina and Ohio.</p>

<p><strong>Additional Reporting</strong></p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/08/02/1191418632/a-wasted-chance-to-fight-addiction-opioid-settlement-cash-fills-a-local-budget-g">Click here to hear Pattani on NPR</a>.</li>

<li>Read Pattani’s <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/repeating-history-california-county-plugs-budget-gap-with-opioid-settlement-cash/">“Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash.”</a></li>
</ul>

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