One of the greatest and most common barriers to addiction recovery is the high costs of addiction treatment. Sadly, this is not a service that many consumers are able to pay for out of pocket. The good news is that with diligent research, you can find several options in insurance and many alternative payment plans for ensuring that access to the needed care is not a problem. If you currently have health insurance of any type, the first and most important step in finding the right treatment center is making sure that your coverage will take care of all or some of the related costs.
It’s vital to note that many insurers recognize the financial benefits of paying for addiction treatment. Now that addiction is recognized as being a treatable condition, it is more cost-effective for insurance companies to help their policyholders get help than it is to deny coverage. As such, many of these entities are willing to cover most or all of the most basic treatment costs. This helps minimize the long-term effects of chronic alcohol use by limiting the need for expensive, future medical treatments. Given the considerable toll that alcoholism can take on the body over time, paying for addiction treatment is simply a sound financial decision. This is a great way for insurers to sidestep the costs of treating any resulting:
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Pancreatitis
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
Under the Affordable Care Act, legal requirements pertaining to this aspect coverage have become increasingly consumer-friendly as well. For instance, health insurance companies now have the additional responsibility of paying for treatments pertaining to co-occurring behavioral and mental health issues. These changes have provided significant increases in access for those who need financial help for achieving lifelong sobriety.
Some Or All Of Your Alcohol Treatment May Be Covered
Although these financial provisions are becoming increasingly accessible, you still have to determine exactly what your insurance will cover, and which treatment centers are willing to take your coverage type. You can contact your health insurance provider directly to learn more about in-network programs within your area. If you’re interested in receiving care out of state, you may have the option of receiving covered, in-network treatment in other areas as well. Insurance companies have online platforms that allow policyholders to access lists of covered providers and covered services. These platforms are also great for determining how much of your rehab costs you’ll be financially responsible for.
It may be that you already have your eye on a specific alcohol rehab center or facility type. In these instances, you can contact rehab centers directly to know more about their accepted forms of insurance, and to get detailed information on any alternative payment methods that may be available. For instance, some centers offer or accept:
- Sliding scale payments that are based on the patient’s household income
- Payment plans that allow for monthly installments
- Rehab grants and scholarships
- Credit card payments
These secondary payment methods can be used to cover all of your alcohol rehab treatment costs. In instances in which insurance companies will only cover a portion of treatment costs, alternative payment methods can be used to make up the difference. Ultimately, the more research that you do before choosing and enrolling in a treatment program; the less out-of-pocket expenses you’ll likely face.
What To Do When You Don’t Have Insurance
The goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable options in coverage or free coverage when financially necessary. If you do not have insurance, you may be qualified for government-funded insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid. If you aren’t qualified for either of these programs, you have the option of using one of the above-mentioned, alternative payment methods.
While both Medicare and Medicaid will cover many basic aspects of alcohol rehab including treatment for co-occurring mental and behavioral health disorders, these forms of health insurance are not accepted by all treatment centers. Government-funded or government-subsidized health insurance will limit the number of treatment options that you have financial access to. When necessary, however, this insurance can always be paired with rehab grants and scholarships to give patients access to a more expansive range of treatment options, resources, and recovery support solutions. Public or government-funded health insurance programs are also available to those who are underinsured.
Important Things To Know About Income Guidelines And Other Restrictions
One very important thing to know about public health insurance is that the requirements for qualification are updated annually. For instance, each year the income limits for program qualification are updated to reflect the cost of living increases and inflation. Due to this fact, if you’ve been unable to access public health insurance for covering your alcohol rehab costs in years past, you may want to reapply. Moreover, many treatment facilities that did not accept public health insurance such as Medicaid and Medicare in the past, maybe willing to accept these health plans now. If you’re ready to start shopping your options in treatment centers, we can help. To find out which alcohol rehab centers will accept your insurance, call us now at 844-639-8371.