Making the choice to begin your recovery journey is no quick decision. It typically requires deep reflection and introspection, contemplating the manner in which your substance use disorder has eroded your social connectivity and personal health, leaving you lost, lonely, and searching for purpose.
Once you have confronted your addiction and made the decision to enter into rehab, the next step is figuring out how to pay the costs associated with your therapeutic services.
Whether you are transitioning into outpatient treatment or an extended residential stay, the manner in which your addiction therapy is monetarily covered is an essential component to the overall success of your treatment experience.
Entering into therapy with total focus and decreased outside distractions can help your chances of successfully completing treatment due to a lower level of stress and anxiety.
Taking the time to research your insurance coverage to identify which services and facilities fall under your specific plan is an excellent place to start.
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was signed into law in March of 2010, substance use disorders and mental illness became identified as essential health benefits. This required all individual and small group insurance plans to offer coverage for these identified conditions.
The ACA makes sure that your insurance covers the services you need, whether they be medical, behavioral, or substance related.
Use this knowledge to your benefit before beginning any level of addiction therapy.
Paying for Rehab: Insurance vs. Out-of-Pocket
While legislation like the ACA and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act have been established to increase the number of people covered for substance use disorders, there still remains a percentage of the population living without insurance.
If this describes your current situation, you should know that alternative options to cover the costs of addiction rehab exist.
Understanding the differences and how they impact your situation is essential to beginning the therapeutic process.
Insurance Coverage
In this situation, you will typically be required to pay the deductible, or an out-of-pocket percentage of the total cost before your insurance coverage kicks in. After this, your coverage will effectively compensate the treatment facility or provider for services rendered.
Out-of-Pocket
In this situation, you will typically be required to pay the total cost of your clinical interventions and treatment yourself.
In most scenarios, the treatment facility can offer you affordable payment plans or tapered payment options in order to make your transition into therapy economically feasible.
A simple call to the financial offices of the treatment facility you choose can start the conversation and identify which methods of payment relief they are able to offer.
How Long Does Insurance Cover Addiction Treatment?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer for this question. This is due to the varying insurance coverages and their particular approach to substance addiction therapy.
However, under the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, both private and public insurers were required to provide comprehensive and equitable coverage for substance use disorders.
This meant that addiction therapy could not be more restrictive or more expensive than medical or surgical coverage. This typically guarantees a minimum of 21 to 30 days of residential treatment for an individual diagnosed with an identifiable substance use disorder.
After this initial allotment of days is exhausted, the treatment facility can contact your insurance provider and petition for an extended amount of days depending on your progress in therapy and the clinical need for additional rehabilitative services.
No Insurance? There Are Still Ways to Pay for Rehab
As previously stated, paying for rehabilitative services out-of-pocket can be costly, but viable options exist to decrease the financial burden and overall expense. Many treatment facilities offer a variety of cost-reducing opportunities for their patients including:
Individual Payment Plans
Breaking the total cost of services into manageable payments to be addressed over an identified time frame is a common practice when dealing with out-of-pocket expenses.
Most treatment facilities have established practices to aid in establishing these individual payment plans and will work with all clients to create a manageable payment schedule.
Sliding Scale Fees
At times, treatment facilities will take an individual’s income into account when identifying the cost of services and how much they will be required to pay for the services received. This sliding scale will adjust in accordance with income and potentially decrease the overall costs of services received.
Familial Support
Turning to your loved ones for monetary support throughout the recovery process should never be disregarded. They understand what you have been through, and fully support your decision to begin addiction treatment. Talk with them about what treatment will cost and decide if they can aid in covering the costs associated with your recovery environment.
Taking the time to discuss these options with a treatment facility’s financial office can provide you with details regarding each possibility before making any definitive decisions. Your recovery journey is an investment in your future, exhausting all potential payment options and coverages is essential to the process.
While ideally, having insurance coverage makes the transition into addiction rehab a bit easier to manage, understanding all of the available payment options provided by a treatment facility is important to research.
The main focus is your health and recovery, so knowing what your insurance provider covers and which facilities fall under your plan can best facilitate your transition into addiction rehab.
There is no time like the present to change your life for the better, so get proactive in your recovery and identify which treatment facility best suits your economic and clinical needs.
Faith-Based Addiction Treatment and Relapse Prevention at Covenant Hills
It’s time to regain control over your life, and our world-class treatment team of addiction experts and medical professionals are here to help.
One of the best and fastest ways to know if your insurance policy will cover treatment, and for how long, is to contact us directly. Our dedicated admission experts help prospective patients navigate confusing insurance plans and talk them through affordability options.
Every call is completely confidential, and after a quick and free assessment, we will be able to better understand your situation and help you uncover viable ways to pay for treatment. At Covenant Hills, it is our upmost mission to meet you wherever you are in your religious and addiction journey and walk with you every step of the way until you reach complete recovery.
Learn about our gender-specific, faith-based addiction treatment programs, or contact us for a free and confidential assessment. We are available 24/7.
