How Can I Pay the Bills While in Rehab?
Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction often necessitates seeking out professional rehabilitation help. Unfortunately, whether you intend to go to rehab for a short stay of 90 days, or a long one of 18 months, you are most likely concerned about what you are leaving behind. Your finances, including bills are an important thing to consider and while many people use them as an excuse to avoid rehab, you can prepare to pay your bills in rehab with planning, saving, and using laws to your advantage.
How to Pay Bills While in Rehab
If your goal is to pay basic bills with funds that you already have or intend to save up for, there are several easy options you can choose.
Prepayment – Many companies will accept funds in advance for periods of 1-12 months with no questions asked. In some cases, a bank or lender may charge a fine for paying in advance, but this is unlikely unless you pay off the entire bill in advance of the agreed-upon credit terms.
Auto payment – Most banks offer automatic bill pay and you can typically set this up through an online portal. Most banks will also allow you to send automatic payments to individuals on a recurring basis, which you can use to pay landlords and debts to small companies or to individuals. However, you may have to call or visit your bank to activate this service if you do not have it set up.
Asking Family – Even if you aren’t on good terms with your family, they may be willing to help you take care of bills while you are in rehab. If you can provide them with access to funds, most will step up to help you with the task.
In most cases, you can easily manage your finances for your rehab period with a minimum of effort, providing you have the funds to do so.
Managing Your Income While in Rehab
Using Vacation Time – Using accrued vacation time towards your rehabilitation will allow you to take time off work for rehab without losing or reducing your income for the period. While you likely do not want to use vacation time for rehab, it will give you the peace of mind to get better while meeting your financial obligations.
FMLA Medical Leave – FMLA Medical Leave grants you up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave without risk of losing your job. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ensures that your employer cannot fire you while you are in rehab. FMLA includes rehab and other types of family medical emergencies. In most cases, you will have to disclose your problem to apply for FMLA leave.
Short-Term Disability – You may qualify for financial assistance to help with living expenses and bills while in rehab, if you have short-term disability insurance or your employer offers this type of insurance. In most cases, this insurance will pay between 40 and 60% of your monthly salary while you seek out help. However, not all short-term disability plans cover addiction recovery.
Handling Outstanding Debts
In most cases, you may be able to call your credit card company, banks, and other lenders to request short-term leniency for extenuating circumstances. You may also be able to consolidate your debt with your bank, so that the bank pays all your bills, and you are reduced to a single, lower payment. While this option may include increased interest, it will typically save you money by reducing total interest. However, if you do not have a job or collateral for the loan, you may not be able to consolidate your debts.
Paying for Rehab
If you need assistance with paying for rehab, there are a few options that you can consider. The first is that some rehabilitation clinics will not bill you until you return to work.
Employee Assistance Program – If your employer maintains an EAP, you may be able to apply for assistance for your rehab. Most Employee Assistance Programs are required by law to help with drug and alcohol rehab. In addition, your employer cannot legally terminate you for having a drug or alcohol addiction, unless they can prove that your performance in the workplace dropped as a result.
Insurance – Most types of insurance are currently required by law to provide some coverage for drug and alcohol treatment. However, you will likely have to copay and you may pay 50% or more of cost even with insurance.
Government Assistance – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) maintains a directory of single state agencies for substance abuse services. Some of these services offer financial assistance and grants to help pay for rehabilitation and clinical treatment. Check to see which options are available in your state and apply for any that you qualify for.
Outpatient Care
If you truly have no additional options, outpatient rehabilitation may be an option for you. However, outpatient care is less effective than inpatient rehab, because you will still be exposed to your everyday life, including work, anywhere you purchase drugs or alcohol, and the people you used or previously used with.
However, outpatient care offers several advantages in that you can continue going to work, you don’t have to interrupt your life, and you will be on hand to meet your financial obligations.
If you can make inpatient care work, inpatient rehab is more effective in the long-term.
Planning for Your Recovery
Rehab is an investment in your future and it is well worth the extra time spent to plan your finances and make life work while you are away.
- Create a list of bills and financial obligations
- Determine if you can pay them in advance or should find someone to handle them for you
- Check your bank’s automatic bill pay options
- Consider your total bank balance and calculate how much money you will need to handle your bills until after rehab.
- Check for financial solutions such as a loan, disability payments, using vacation time, or financial assistance from a government funded body if you do not have the funds.
- If you can’t auto-pay bills, check to see if you can pay them in advance.
- Ask a family member or close friend to manage your remaining bills while you are away.
- Check with your insurance to see if and how much of your rehab costs they will cover.
- Request billing information from your rehabilitation clinic
- Follow up on any loose ends and check to ensure that there are no bills or payments you
Rehab is a choice that will benefit your future or that of your loved one, and it’s worth going through the extra trouble now to make it work. Good luck getting clean and sober!
If you or a loved one is currently experiencing a problem with addiction to drugs or alcohol, don’t wait until it’s too late. Please Contact Beginnings Treatment Centers now to speak with one of our professional admissions specialists. There is no obligation or cost for the initial consultation, and quick action might save your life or the life of your loved one.
