South Carolina

State Facts

1,864 Deaths, or 81% of total overdose deaths, involved opioids in 2022.1

15,584 Beneficiaries of Medicare Part D had opioid use disorder in 2022.2

48.4 Opioid Prescriptions were written for every 100 persons in South Carolina in 2023.3

1,173,184 Claims, or 4.4% of all Medicare Part D claims, were for opioids in 2022 – an average of 58 per prescriber.4


1. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (2024). Drug Overdose Deaths South Carolina. https://justplainkillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Drug-Overdose-Report-2022.pdf

2. Office of the Inspector General (2023). The Consistently Low Percentage of Medicare Enrollees Receiving Medication to Treat Their Opioid Use Disorder Remains a Concern. https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/evaluation/2722/OEI-02-23-00250-Complete%20Report.pdf

3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool. https://cms-oeda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=5390718d875d4c049b1ac5976a9ff083