In order to recover the expense of treating overdose and opioid-addicted patients, hospitals have started suing opioid manufacturers. With the costs of treating opioid patients estimated at up to $107,000 per person, the total cost of treating uninsured patients reaches billions of dollars per year. The hospitals involved are attempting to find a way to recoup money they had to spend on patients affected by this epidemic. Citing the tobacco settlement agreement, hospital representatives argue that when the states and other local jurisdictions shared the settlement funds, hospitals were overlooked and money o went to pay for potholes and teacher salaries.