Skip to content
What You Need to Know About the Opioid Settlement Funds
Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash

What You Need to Know About the Opioid Settlement Funds

The money, which comes from companies like Purdue Pharma, McKesson, CVS, and others that made, distributed, and sold opioid painkillers,  is meant as restitution for their roles in fueling the epidemic. KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani breaks down the money’s path – from when it lands to how it’s spent.

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

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.

Read More

Credits

Aneri Pattani
Reporter and narration
Hannah Norman
Producer and animator
Oona Tempest
Illustrator and creative director