When a person is struggling with a drug addiction and wants to get professional help, they may seek out treatment at a drug rehabilitation program. These programs can be extremely beneficial to a person ready to begin the recovery process, but they can also be expensive. For this reason, it’s useful to consider and understand the various payment options for these treatments. A person can pay for drug rehabilitation with their own money, with financial assistance from their employer or the government, or with help from their health insurance. In order to maximize both the amount of money the person saves and the quality of their treatment, they should consider the following four tips when shopping for drug rehabilitation insurance.
1. Find out how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects your insurance.
The ACA was signed into law in 2010. SAMHSA explains that this act, along with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act, helps millions of Americans receive necessary medical care “by prohibiting certain discriminatory practices that limit insurance coverage for behavioral health treatment and services.” SAMHSA also clarifies that as of 2014, this act has extended the coverage of the following types of health insurance:
- Employer-funded plans with more than 50 insured employees
- Employer-funded plans that were created before March 23, 2010 and have 50 or fewer employees
- Medicaid managed-care programs
- Children’s Health Insurance Program
- Individual market plans
- Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans and benchmark equivalent plans
Many people have one of the types of insurance listed above, so if a person is unsure of what type of insurance they have, or whether it falls into the categories covered by the ACA, they should contact their insurance provider as soon as possible to find out.
2. Research the costs of competing insurance plans.
If a person’s insurance doesn’t cover behavioral health services such as drug rehabilitation, they should investigate other insurance options. Many different types of health insurance include coverage of behavioral health services, so it’s important for individuals to find out which types of insurance plans are available to them. You can get this information by asking your current insurance provider, your employer or your colleagues. Another great place to research insurance plans is online. Many websites offer comparisons of different insurance options, which can help people choose the one that is right for them.
3. Consider the costs and payment options of different rehabilitation programs.
Paying for drug rehabilitation out-of-pocket can be expensive, with some treatment centers costing several thousand dollars. But despite the high costs, many people are able to receive treatment without having to pay for the services by themselves. The Partnership at Drugfree.org reports on a study funded by SAMHSA which found that, in 2003, 77.4 percent of drug addiction treatment services were paid for by Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal, state and local sources. Additionally, only eight percent of people who received addiction treatment in 2003 paid for it themselves. On the other hand, however, the study also found that private insurers only paid for 10.1 percent of treatment costs, which was down from the 29.6 percent that they paid in 1986. These figures suggest that a person with funding from a federal, state or local source will likely be able to receive treatment without having to pay for the costs on their own. And while the report suggests that private insurance companies were less willing to pay for addiction treatment in 2003, the ACA has changed this pattern for many different types of private insurance.
4. Keep the overall quality of the rehabilitation program in mind.
After considering all the major aspects of drug rehabilitation insurance, the final and most important factor to consider is the overall quality of the rehabilitation. Once the person finds health insurance that will cover their drug rehabilitation, they must make sure to choose a treatment center that will offer them support throughout the rehabilitation and recovery process, and that includes a staff of properly trained and qualified mental healthcare professionals who will work together to ensure the person’s success in long-term recovery.
Get More Information About Drug Rehabilitation Insurance
If you or someone you care about is struggling with a drug addiction and looking to receive treatment, please call us at 615-490-9376. Our admissions coordinators are available to discuss health insurance options with you, and they can also help you find a quality drug rehabilitation program that will best fit your needs.
