OBJECTIVES : Mental and behavioural disorders caused by opioid use have a significant public health, social, and economic impact, and is associated with criminal justice involvement. Our aim was to determine the annual health insurance treatment cost of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids in Hungary.

METHODS : Data were derived from the financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual health insurance costs, patient numbers and cost distribution calculated for age groups and sex. The following cost categories were included into the study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and medical aids. Patients with mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: F13.

RESULTS : In 2018, the Hungarian NHIFA spent 256.29 million Hungarian Forints (HUF) on the treatment of patients with mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids, [948.3 thousand American Dollars (USD), or 803.7 thousand Euros (EUR)]. 40.1% of costs was spent on the treatment of male, 59.9% on female patients. The highest patient numbers were in outpatient care: 2,219 men (37.0%), 3,780 women (63.0%) in total 5,999 patients. Carers (20.6% of total health insurance costs in men, 21.8% in women), chronic inpatient care (19.1% in men, 13.5% in women) and acute inpatient care (14.9% in men, 13.5% in women) were the main cost drivers. Annual health care treatment cost per patient was 45,917 HUF (170 USD/144 EUR) in men and 40,265 HUF (149 USD/126 EUR) in women.

CONCLUSIONS : Outpatient care was the major cost driver in the treatment of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol. The average annual health insurance costs per patient was 14% higher in women.