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Michael Jackson’s pill bill topped $80,000 a year

Gina Roberts-Grey

When Michael Jackson died in June 2009, he practically had a medicine cabinet full of drugs in his system. On top of that, thousands of dollars worth of drugs were found in his house. His personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is standing trial for involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death, and a cornerstone of the criminal case is Jackson’s enormous appetite for prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

The King of Pop reportedly took several daily doses of various prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Feeding that kind of habit would be extraordinarily expensive for the typical American — more than $80,000 a year, according to one expert’s estimate provided to InsuranceQuotes.com. In most cases, the drugs Jackson took would have been covered by health insurance, but only if there was a valid medical reason and the drugs were properly prescribed.

Michael Jackson’s buffet of drugs cost more than $7,000 a month, according to one expert.

“Based on the medications found in his body, and figuring a conservative four times a day dosing, this smorgasbord of prescriptions could have cost as much as $7,000 a month,” says Dr. Moshe Lewis, a pain management specialist and professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Based on Lewis’ estimate, the annual tab amounted to more than $80,000.

Of course, Jackson’s over-the-top drug use is far from the norm, and his pill bill was much higher than what regular folks would pay. The monthly cost if you took the regular dosages of each of Jackson’s drugs: an estimated $3,100.

Here’s a look at what just one dose of each of the medicines found at Jackson’s home would cost the average American, and whether the average health insurance plan would cover the expense, as long as the medicines are appropriately prescribed. The dollar figures take into account what a consumer would pay without insurance, or what a consumer and an insurer would pay in combination.

1. Propofol

Description: It’s generally given during surgical or medical procedures. “Propofol is a medication so potent that in 12 states, registered nurses are not allowed to administer the drug because of the severe and immediate respiratory distress that can result from even routine use of the medication,” Lewis says.

Average cost for one dose: It’s hard to say exactly, since dosing depends on a person’s height, weight and age. The average dose of about 20 mg to knock out a man for about four to five hours would cost about $35; for a woman, it would be about $33.

Cost if you were to buy a 30-day supply: Doctors normally don’t write prescriptions for a 30-day supply of this drug. However, if they did, it would cost about $2,100 for a man and $1,980 for a woman to sleep about eight to nine hours a day.

Covered by insurance: Yes, but not in the way Jackson reportedly used it — as a sleep aid.

2. Prilosec

Description: This popular heartburn drug is available over the counter, so it’s much cheaper than some of other drugs Jackson took.

Average cost for one dose: 80 cents to $1.

Cost if you were to buy a 30-day supply: Up to $30. It’s usually taken just once a day.

Covered by insurance: It depends. The over-the-counter version is not; however, a prescription for the stronger version generally would be covered.

3. Vicodin

Description: “This is a very common pain medication. It is one of the most heavily prescribed painkillers,” Lewis says.

Average cost for one dose: $1.70, according to Marv Shepherd, director of the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Cost if you were to buy a 30-day supply: Doctors don’t generally issue prescriptions for a 30-day stash of this drug. However, if they did, it would cost an average of $102 for two doses a day.