A bipartisan effort of Attorneys General has settled on a $10 billion agreement with CVS and Walgreens for their roles in the opioid crisis. Under the agreements, which were finalized Monday, CVS will pay $5 billion, and Walgreens will pay $5.7 billion, for a total of $10.7 billion. Of that amount, Nebraska’s share is just over $41 million.
The settlement, similar to the one reached with Walmart in November, will now go to the states for review. The states will have until the end of the year to join. From there, the CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart decisions will be sent to local governments around the nation for sign-on in the early part of the new year.
Nebraska is likely to join.
Payments from the companies will go toward support programs for opioid addiction, including treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and prevention.