If you live in the state of Florida, you may be wondering what your options are if you need treatment for substance abuse issues. The overwhelming majority of individuals who live in the state have their medical insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield. If you happen to be one of those individuals, you’re probably wondering whether or not the majority of treatment facilities in the area except coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield.
As is the case with most things in life, the answer will vary depending on the facility in question. If that makes you feel like the situation is clear as mud, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you can make the process much easier by taking things one step at a time.
Contact Your Insurance Provider
Since you’re going to walk through this one step at a time, your first step should be to contact your insurance provider. Unless you’re an expert on insurance policies, you probably need a little help understanding exactly what is covered and what isn’t. Don’t be shy about contacting your insurance provider and asking someone to clarify things for you. That way, you know exactly what types of treatment facilities may or may not be a part of your plan.
If you live in Florida, at least a portion of your substance abuse treatment will be covered, but that doesn’t mean that the insurance company is required to pay for 100% of the costs incurred. As a matter of fact, they’re not even required to pay for half of those costs. That’s precisely why it’s so important to contact your insurance provider and speak with someone directly. You want to know exactly how much is covered. It’s likely to require more than one phone call, so don’t be surprised if you end up having to do this a few times before everything becomes crystal clear.
Contact an Appropriate Treatment Facility
Your second step will be to contact an appropriate treatment facility and find out how much it’s going to cost to receive the type of treatment you need there. Keep in mind, the world isn’t going to end if you contact the treatment facility first and then contact your insurance provider after the fact. As a matter of fact, that might even work better for you because you may be able to provide your insurance provider with pertinent information. In most cases, you will need a referral from your physician to get treatment.
This is true whether you’re getting treatment on an inpatient basis or seeking an outpatient program. As a direct result, your physician may actually be the one that petitions the insurance company for coverage. At the very least, getting a referral from your physician creates a paper trail that may make it easier to get the maximum amount of coverage possible. Nevertheless, it’s still important that you stay on top of things and remain proactive. It can be the difference between getting the treatment you need in a timely manner and having things take far too long to move forward. Since getting treatment sooner rather than later is imperative, you don’t want to do anything that’s going to cause the process to take any longer than necessary.
What Should You Do if You Don’t Know Where to Turn?
It’s not at all uncommon to feel hopeless. You might feel like you don’t know where to turn, especially when you’re mired in addiction. If that’s something you’re currently going through, rest assured that help is available. However, it requires a certain amount of action on your part to begin that process, typically in the form of a phone call. What can you do if you really don’t know where to turn, yet you’re in desperate need of help?
- Find a substance abuse hotline in your area and call it. They can help you.
- Call a treatment facility and ask for help.
- Make an appointment with your physician or mental health professional to discuss your condition.
Wading through insurance policies in order to find out exactly how much of your treatment might be covered by your insurance provider is anything but fun. Unfortunately, some people have the mindset that they have to find this out before they do anything else or they won’t seek treatment.
The truth of the matter is that this is likely to make things worse. Even if you don’t see a way to move forward with things, the most important step is to start contacting the treatment facilities in your area.
If that’s not possible, reach out to your physician or a mental health professional. Find a substance abuse hotline and talk to the person on the other end of the phone. The most important thing here is that you take action. From that point on, things will begin to unfold so you can get the help you need. Call us today at 844-639-8371.