We all know that addiction therapy is big business for those who don’t care about the atrocity surrounding the industry. But who knew that drug dependence would produce a sizzling, new asset for the United States market? No, it’s not a new drug. The most recent money-maker in addiction treatment protocol is “drug testing through urine analysis.”

With over-the-top markups and a lot more than a couple of deceptive practices currently active, urine drug screening has transformed into quite the lucrative enterprise.

Evaluating a urine specimen for drugs seems like it should be a relatively basic, affordable process. With today’s technological advances, you can get a $20 packet at the drug store and determine if your teenager smoked marijuana last night. Some tests are even less expensive. Why, then, if individuals can get a urine assessment for under the cost of lunch, are some laboratories billing an unjustifiable amount of $4,000 or more for each test?

Just because they can.

These “gurus” have discovered a way to earn a quick profit off addiction and recovery, and they seem to be taking advantage of it for every single feasible penny.

Coverage, Costs and Double-Dipping

Insurance providers have started to cut compensation rates to control escalating billing methods for drug testing. Nevertheless, lab gear sales representatives document dozens of fresh centers are appearing monthly. As the need for urine drug screens expand, so do the number of unethical individuals looking to make a fast fortune.

The people set to profit the most in this operation consist of lab proprietors, rehab centers and healthcare providers. On the testing center side, the site could bill as much as 25 times the government compensation rate for urine tests. Naturally, private insurers may compensate at higher rates, and when these carriers agree to pay out, the cost continues to ascend. Any expense not paid for is then passed down to the patient. One parent was stunned to be given a bill for $260,000 to pay for dozens of drug tests conducted by his son’s facility and sober home.

It appears, both the sober living residence and medical clinic were delivering samples to the same research laboratory. Couldn’t these two companies share the conclusive results from one assessment? The bill also consisted of charges for “verification” tests, which involve re-testing the urine with an extra machine to confirm the lack of drugs in the sample. Was this needed? Frequently, these alternate tests search for drugs never used by the client. At what point are laboratories conducting evaluations just for the benefit of monetary gain and not assisting the individual?

Clinical Doctors have also participated this profitable activity. Remember, for each test that is purchased, a medical professional must validate it. Some healthcare professionals generate between $3,000 and $8,000 a month from the drug tests carried out at just one clinic or sober housing facility and they frequently work with numerous establishments.

Justifications or Rehabilitation?

Certainly, these drug evaluations are more intricate than the at-home package from CVS. They’re more delicate and can spot a larger selection of substances at much smaller volumes. Nevertheless, something appears unethical about the enormous profit margin for these examinations. At present rates, a solitary urine drug test can be priced at more than a day of therapy. This framework seems damaged. It raises the concerns:

• Are assets going where they will genuinely assist individuals in recovery?
• If we consider recovery solely as “big business,” how can we focus our attention to the treatment patients require?
• Are we aiming to help the millions battling with substance abuse in our nation, or do we merely want to capitalize their distress?

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