Drug and alcohol rehab provides life-saving treatment for those men and women who have seen their lives thrown into chaos as a result of substance abuse or addiction.
In a perfect world, everyone who needed rehab would get it – yet the reality is something far less upbeat. There are over 22 million people in the United States currently living with a substance abuse problem or a full on drug addiction or alcoholism. Recent statistics show that only 3 to 4 million of these individuals will ever get professional help for their condition.
Why don’t most people get rehab help? There a number of barriers to treatment, but in these challenging economic times, rehab costs represent the most significant obstacle to individuals getting the drug and alcohol rehabilitation they need.
Riding to the rescue to help pay for the life-saving treatment offered by
drug and alcohol rehab centers are progressive insurance companies that, having now recognized the legitimacy of addiction as a health problem, are now covering costs as part of their plans.
But before anyone signs up for treatment and expects their insurance companies to pay lock, stock and barrel for treatment, it is important to consider the following information.
What Percentage of Costs are Covered?
The amount of
drug rehab costs that are covered by an insurance plan depends upon a number of factors.
First, the type of coverage the individual maintains plays a role. If an individual has an HMO plan, it may pay for only a small percentage of the rehab costs (or perhaps none at all). A PPO plan may cost more to maintain each month, but the individual may be responsible for less of the cost of treatment that with an HMO.
The same philosophy holds true for rehab and insurance. An individual may prefer luxury drug rehab, but if that is the way the wish to go, they should expect to have to pay for more of it out of their own pocket. If however, a quality outpatient treatment center is able to meet the individual’s needs, there is a much better chance that it will be covered, in its entirety, by health care insurance.
Who Might Not be Covered?
Like any healthcare insurance, individuals with a pre-existing condition at the time they are enrolled for coverage may not enjoy all the same benefits as someone who has no history of addiction. In the case of drug and alcohol rehab, an individual with a history of relapse or addictive behavior may find it hard to get coverage of treatment. This is the reason why, on health care insurance applications, the individual is asked to list all of their past medical history, including any psychiatric care such as time spent at a rehab center.
What Types of Addiction are Covered?
Individuals suffering from an addiction need treatment help immediately. They do not want to worry about whether or not their particular addiction is going to be covered under insurance.
For that reason, most insurance plans provide coverage for all the major addictions, including:
In the case of the last three entries on the list above (gambling, sex and shopping), many insurance providers do not yet recognize them as “insurable” conditions. However, that is changing as these addictions are become more and more common in treatment facilities around the country.
The Importance of Insurance and Treatment
There was a time not too long ago, when addiction to drugs or alcohol was seen as a personal weakness. “Why can’t they just get over it?” was a common refrain among the friends and family of addicted individuals. But in the 21st century, the way we look at addiction has changed significantly. Today, drug addiction and alcoholism are seen as legitimate mental health conditions – and as such have become a part of the American healthcare landscape. By providing coverage for drug and alcohol rehabs, insurance companies are not only helping countless individuals find appropriate care – they are actually helping legitimize this condition that impacts the lives of over 20 million people in the United States alone.
