Do I Have Drug Treatment Options Even If I Have a Low Income?

Addiction rehab can be expensive, so many drug users think that their situations are hopeless, because they think they cannot afford help. But, addiction treatment can be both effective and affordable, so users do not have to sacrifice the quality of treatment due to their lack money. Numerous treatment centers offer excellent care to people with financial problems, so do not let money keep you from addiction recovery.

Is Addiction Treatment Necessary for Recovery?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 20.6 million Americans 12 and over who needed substance abuse treatment in 2012 did not receive it. Of these people that avoided treatment, 1.1 million of them stated that they sought treatment, but avoided it; and, over 400,000 of these people cited inadequate insurance coverage or money for avoiding help. As these numbers suggest, hundreds of thousands of people aren’t getting the substance abuse treatment they need, and often the reason is because they lack money. But, addiction recovery is possible with the right help.

Three Ways to Find Affordable Addiction Treatment

While drug addicts may become hopeless if they believe they cannot afford addiction treatment, rehab can be affordable due to the following three factors:

• Several insurance programs are changing their mental health coverage to include addiction rehab
• Many treatment centers have inexpensive treatment for people with low incomes
• Many treatment allow patients to pay manageable amounts each month for treatment

First, The United States Office of National Drug Control Policy explains that, as of 2014, the Affordable Care Act has expanded healthcare coverage to include substance abuse disorders as an essential health benefit. This coverage is included in Medicaid and in all health insurance sold on Health Insurance Exchanges. Additionally, private health insurance that has mental health treatment in its coverage must now include substance abuse treatment in its coverage. In other words, the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of healthcare coverage means that thousands of people who were formerly unable to pay for addiction rehab can now receive the help they need.

Next, The Alcohol and Drug Services Study found that the average cost of substance abuse treatment in 1999 was $1,849. The most expensive cost was for outpatient methadone treatment, which averaged at $6,048, and the least expensive cost was for outpatient non-methadone treatment, which averaged $1,169. This study further found that the minimum cost for different kinds of treatment was even lower: $2,109 for outpatient methadone, $308 for non-hospital residential and $188 for outpatient non-methadone.

Lastly, most addiction rehab programs realize that some of their patients struggle financially, so they offer payment plans that spread out the cost of treatment over several months or years. This allows people who cannot pay thousands of dollars up front to receive the treatment they need without going into debt.

How to Find Affordable Substance Abuse Treatment

Substance abuse treatment can be affordable, even for people without a lot of money to spare. The truth about rehab is that treatment is much less expensive in the long run than the costs of continuing to abuse drugs. If you or someone you love struggles with drug abuse, give us a call at 615-490-9376.