T4524 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)
Adult sized disposable incontinence product, brief/diaper. Medicaid pays a median of $0.885 for T4524 across 44 states, from $0.52 in Virginia to $1.43 in South Carolina.
- States publishing
- 44
- National median
- $0.885units vary by state
- Lowest
- $0.52Virginia
- Highest
- $1.43South Carolina
What does Medicaid pay for T4524?
44 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for T4524. The national median is $0.885 (units differ between states). South Carolina pays the most, $1.43, and Virginia the least, $0.52, a 2.8x spread.
T4524 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest
One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 44 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.
How to read this table
- Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for T4524, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
- Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 16 of the 44 states list more than one rate for T4524, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
- Unit. Of the 44 states, 3 publish T4524 per unit, and 41 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
- Per hour. T4524 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
- Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
- % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for T4524, so there is no percentage.
- Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Why T4524 rates differ between states
Published rates for T4524 run from $0.52 in Virginia to $1.43 in South Carolina, a 2.8x gap in the same unit. Half the states pay more than the median of $0.885 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in equipment & supplies rates:
- A single code can carry separate purchase, rental and used-equipment amounts, and states publish different subsets of them.
- Some items are priced individually from the manufacturer's price or the supplier's invoice, so fewer states publish a fixed fee.
- Many states set equipment and supply fees as a percentage of the Medicare DMEPOS fee schedule, at different percentages and from different years.
Timing matters too. 5 states set the current rate for T4524 in 2026 or later, while 22 states still pay a rate that took effect in 2022 or earlier. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.
What managed-care plans pay for T4524
What a plan pays for T4524 is negotiated privately, but the state decides how much room there is to negotiate. Here is how the rules break down across the 44 states.
In 7 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 22 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. In 1 state, the service is paid outside the plans or through a state-directed payment. The rule for the remaining 14 states is not classified yet.
- Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (22 states). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
- Plans must pay at least the published rate (5 states). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.
- The state sets the plan rate (2 states). There is little to negotiate on price. Contracting is about network participation, authorization and billing terms.
- Paid by the state, outside the plans (1 state). Bill the state's Medicaid program, not the plan, at the published rate. There is no plan contract to negotiate for this service.
Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example South Carolina managed care.
Units and billing for T4524
T4524 is a HCPCS Level II state Medicaid agency code in the equipment & supplies line, billed mostly by durable medical equipment suppliers, orthotists, prosthetists and pharmacies. T codes were created for state Medicaid agencies, for services such as personal care, private duty nursing, case management and waiver services. Each state defines how the code is used and paid, so units vary from 15 minutes to a month.
Pricing modifiers decide which amount applies: NU for a new purchase, RR for a monthly rental and UE for used equipment. Units follow the code: per item, per pair, per box or per month of rental, so a per-unit comparison only holds when the states use the same unit.
Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.
Frequently asked questions
What does Medicaid pay for T4524?
It depends on the state. Of the 44 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $0.885. South Carolina pays the most ($1.43) and Virginia the least ($0.52).
Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for T4524?
South Carolina, at $1.43, effective 2025-07-01.
Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for T4524?
Virginia, at $0.52, effective 2014-01-01.
What unit is T4524 billed in?
Of the 44 states, 3 publish T4524 per unit, and 41 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for T4524?
Not necessarily. In 7 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 22 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. In 1 state, the service is paid outside the plans or through a state-directed payment. The rule for the remaining 14 states is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.