KFF investigation documents 2025 opioid settlement spending and commitments

An investigation published November 12 documented roughly $3.7 billion in 2025 opioid settlement money spent or committed by state and local governments, according to KFF Health News and its partners.

The figure comes from incomplete records, leaving communities with a partial view of how the money was used. It combines commitments with expenditures.

Over a year, KFF, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof assembled and categorized roughly 17,500 expenditure examples using public-records requests and government websites. The records were collected through July 2026 and reflect actions taken by governments through December 31, 2025. Some jurisdictions do not publish reports, the team said; reports can also be missed or appear later, and those available may lack context about plans and activities.

Indiana’s settlement page describes a state-specific reporting route. Local governments receiving national settlement funds report their use to the Family and Social Services Administration, which submits an annual report to the legislature; the collected information is made public, the page says.

That system records activity, while authority over spending is a separate question. KFF reported that the Indiana Commission to Combat Substance Use Disorder described its list of unallowable uses as guidance. Commission spokesperson Shelby Thomas told KFF that state law gives the state no authority to enforce how local entities spend settlement funds.