Coverage Limitations for Use of Urine Drug Testing in a State Medicaid Program - Takeaways - MDSpire

Coverage Limitations for Use of Urine Drug Testing in a State Medicaid Program

  • By

  • Michael A. Incze

  • Sarah R. Tingley

  • John Neuhaus

  • Marcus Bachhuber

  • S. Amanda Dumas

  • Sanket S. Dhruva

  • Rita F. Redberg

  • May 8, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    Opioid overdose caused an estimated 3.1 million years of life lost in the US in 2022, highlighting the severity of the public health crisis.

  • 2

    Less than 25% of individuals with substance use disorders receive treatment, indicating a significant gap in care.

  • 3

    Urine drug testing (UDT) is the most common testing method in substance use disorder treatment, with expenditures exceeding $8.5 billion in 2017.

  • 4

    Louisiana's Medicaid policy, enacted in July 2019, limited UDT reimbursement to curb low-value care and reduce unnecessary testing.

  • 5

    The study analyzed UDT utilization trends and health outcomes among Louisiana Medicaid beneficiaries before and after the policy change.

Original Source(s)

Coverage Limitations for Use of Urine Drug Testing in a State Medicaid Program

  • by Michael A. Incze, Sarah R. Tingley, John Neuhaus, Marcus Bachhuber, S. Amanda Dumas, Sanket S. Dhruva, Rita F. Redberg

  • May 8, 2026

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