There are so many excuses that keep people from getting addiction treatment. Of course, most of them are BS. (Yes, it is possible to have fun without drugs and alcohol.) When it comes to cost, however, a lot of people hit a stumbling block. As with all other types of medical treatment, going to detox or rehab usually comes with a price tag attached. Will your insurance help pay for your drug or alcohol detox or rehab?
Insurance for Drug Addiction Treatment
In the past, most insurances did not cover addiction treatment because drug and alcohol addiction was thought of (wrongly) as more of a moral failing. Now, of course, we know that it is a brain disease – one with a heavy genetic component. Addiction is not your fault, and if you decided to get help you deserve to be supported.
According to the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act of 2008, insurance providers must offer the same level of benefits for mental health and addiction treatment that they do for physical health and the treatment of other diseases. That means that your employer-provided health insurance is required to cover treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in the same way that it would cover treatment for cancer, or another serious disease.
In addition, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 changed the law so that insurers must provide addiction treatment as one of their ten essential health benefits. In addition to mental health and substance abuse disorder services, those benefits are outpatient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, rehabilitative services and devices, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management, and pediatric services.
In-Network Insurance for Addiction Treatment
If your insurance covers addiction treatment, you can save some extra money by choosing a facility that is in-network with your provider. That means that the facility and your provider have negotiated discounted rates. If you go out of network, your insurer still will pitch in, but at an in-network facility the amount you are responsible for paying will be less.
The best way to know whether your insurance will cover your addiction treatment is to call the facility you want to enter. We’ll run a verification of benefits (VOB) to tell you ahead of time what your final bill will look like. That way, you can make the decision to enter treatment with the confidence that you’re making the right decision.
From understanding your insurance benefits to building a long-term plan for recovery, you don’t have to do it alone. Chat us right here on the website or give us a call. We’ve been there, and we can help.
GUIDE
Getting Clean & Sober at Home
Today, more than 75% of hospitals and healthcare providers offer access to telehealth treatment, with 29 states having gone so far as to enact telehealth parity laws, which force insurance companies to reimburse patients for telehealth at the same rates as they would for in-person treatment.
If you’ve been thinking about getting clean and sober, or if you’ve been wanting to work on and strengthen the recovery you already have, it’s never been easier to do it through telehealth.
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