Post-Hire Testing FOR EMPLOYERS AND PROVIDERS


substance-use disorders, and an additional $85 billion to treat the injuries, infections, and illnesses associated with substance use.5


Te cost of treatment for substance-


use disorders in the U.S. is not borne solely by families or their insurance companies. With higher utilization of treatment programs, health insurance premiums may rise. Tis can affect employers who offer health insurance for employees; in 2017, employers contributed an average of $5,477 (82%) for single coverage and $13,049 (70%) for family coverage per employee, and costs are on the rise.6 Medical and drug benefits are predicted to increase by 5% in 2019, according to the annual health care survey by the National Business Group on Health, with premiums


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and out-of-pocket costs for employees and their dependents averaging $14,800.7


Providers, Programs, Policy, and Profits


Another constant over the past 26 years is that when asked, most TPAs and CRs report that 75% of the drug testing they perform is pre-employment testing. Pre- employment testing is an effective tool in deterring drug users from applying for jobs with employers who test. Many of those drug users who do apply are weeded out by the pre-employment drug test, but many more are not. Drug users are savvy. Many abstain just long enough to pass the pre-employment drug screen and then return to using regularly. Once on the job,


the costs of a drug-using employee are easy to identify. According to the National Safety


Council, prescription painkiller abuse alone is estimated to cost employers $42 billion in lost productivity and absenteeism from work.8


Employees who abuse


prescription drugs are two to five times more likely to have unexcused absences, be late for work, be injured or violent at work, file workers’ compensation claims, or quit or be fired within one year of employment. Employers and employees alike benefit


from robust drug testing programs, employee education, and employee assistance programs. Workers in recovery have lower turnover rates and are less likely to miss work days, less likely to be


datia focus 29


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