Paying For Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Today, over 24 million people suffer from substance use disorder, but, statistically, only 11% of them will ever seek out treatment. Despite this gap, addiction is a mental disorder that can severely affect the physical and mental health of the patient. Getting help is crucial. This is because substance use disorder (drug addiction) is dangerous. It’s also expensive, and greatly increases the risks of crime, violence, and untimely death.
This article aims to share different addiction resources depending on how you are paying for rehab.
Unfortunately, while new laws and regulations make it easier for people with drug addiction to get treatment, many people have valid reasons not to seek it out. First of all, there’s an ever-present social stigma. This means that some people are afraid that if they get help, people will judge them. Other barriers like responsibilities, personal judgment, and the often-high cost of addiction treatment mean that most simply never get treatment. Instead, they may attempt to quit on their own, typically setting off a cycle of quitting – which lasts anywhere from a few days to several years, before relapsing again.
Drug and Alcohol Rehab at Beginnings Treatment is more than just addiction detox, it includes physical treatment for addiction, alongside support from our extensive alumni network. We treat the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of addiction. This helps our patients recover their full health, relationships, and the mental and emotional skills necessary to stay clean or sober, resist cravings, and build a new life. That means our staff consists of licensed therapists, medical doctors, and psychologists. Our team is capable of providing the highest quality treatment, for substance use disorders, dual diagnosis, and other complications.
This level of support does mean that treatment is expensive. While costs depend on your choice of inpatient or outpatient care and the level of care needed, paying for rehab isn’t always as easy as it should be. However, there are numerous options to find funding for rehab so that you or your loved one can get much-needed help.
Financing for Addiction Treatment
Financing is typically the first and easiest option for paying for rehab. Most people with drug addiction either don’t have significant savings of their own or have spent it. Many are not be able to rely on family members to make up the difference. Many insurance plans only pay for a portion of the total costs. If you’re someone with high co-pays and deductibles, paying on your own may not be an option.
Keep in mind, in many cases taking on a monthly payment is considerably cheaper than the monthly cost of addiction.
Using Insurance to Pay for Rehab
What if you don’t have Health Insurance?
Certain important insurance benefits for drug and alcohol addiction treatment are contained in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. These acts require that insurance providers offer coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits that are comparable to medical care benefits.
In effect, this means that both private and public insurance policies must cover substance abuse treatment to the same extent that they cover the treatment of other medical conditions.
A further benefit of The Affordable Care Act is that insurance companies can’t deny coverage to anyone based on a pre-existing condition. These pre-existing conditions include substance use addiction or alcoholism. Also, a person who doesn’t have insurance can apply for insurance coverage at any time.
The amount of insurance coverage for addiction treatment varies from plan to plan. But even though many insurance policies require some type of deductible and co-pay, having insurance usually serves to dramatically decrease costs for treatment that must come out of your own pocket.
Do You Qualify?
- Do you cover inpatient, outpatient, or both?
- Do you cover Beginnings Treatment Centers?
- How many days of treatment are covered under my plan?
- Does my plan cover detox? What about medication? Therapy? Family therapy? What don’t you cover?
- What is my copay?
- What is my deductible?
What if I Don’t Have Insurance?
As mentioned above, under the Affordable Care Act insurance companies are required to accept patients with a pre-existing condition. This means that you can apply for and get insurance coverage for someone suffering from a substance use disorder and then use the insurance to pay for a large portion of treatment.
However, this option isn’t going to work if you need to get into rehab quickly. For example, if you have just staged an intervention with an addicted family member, you might not have the time to go through the process of setting up an insurance policy before moving your loved one into rehab. However, if time is not a problem, we highly recommend that you take this additional step to save costs.
Cash Pay for Rehab
Paying for rehab in cash upfront is usually seen as the best and fastest option. In most cases, you will be able to use your insurance to pay a large portion of costs and then use savings, to pay the rest upfront. Paying in cash is a simple choice because it negates any interest costs from either a payment plan or a lender. This keeps the total costs for you as low as possible.
How to Pay for Addiction Treatment with No Insurance
If you don’t have insurance, have very high copays, or your insurance only covers a small portion of treatment, you may have to come up with a large amount of money in a short period. Luckily, there are numerous resources you can use to pay for addiction treatment with no insurance.
Government Grants for Addiction Rehab
Most areas offer some form of grants for substance-abuse treatment. These may be available at a community, institution, state, or federal level, and do vary a great deal depending on the location. For example, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant provided by SAMSA is an excellent resource. If you are under the poverty line, under the age of 19, or over the age of 60, you have a very strong chance of qualifying for a grant. This is advantageous because you won’t have to pay it back. However, you may eventually face audits or be required to show proof of where and how any grant money was spent.
Medicare and Medicaid for Rehab
If you are under the age of 19, over the age of 65, or have an income below the poverty line in your state, Medicare or Medicaid may cover your treatment and recovery. However, your recovery options will be limited, and you may have to attend a state-based program – which may not offer a full spectrum of care.
Private Funding for Addiction Treatment
Many people rely on community good will and donations to attend rehab. Others prefer to sell their belongings or use their home or car as collateral for a loan. Both options can help you to quickly raise the necessary funds. You may choose to use options like crowdfunding on sites like GoFundMe, to host an auction, or to ask for donations at your church or in your community. While you might not always raise enough to cover everything, most people find that community support can be extremely helpful in contributing towards their final goal. In addition, with community support behind you, many people find that they have that much more motivation to make it through rehab.
Depending on your situation, you may be able to make monthly payments rather than paying for your treatment in advance.
Is Paying for Rehab Really the Best Option?
Many people feel that rehab is expensive, and that can be true. But, with around the clock medical care, meals, residency, multiple types of therapy from licensed and PhD level therapists, and various amenities for inpatient care – these costs are accounted for.
In addition, while the cost of rehab is high, the cost of not going to rehab is higher. In one study, it was estimated that alcohol addiction alone costs roughly $2 billion per year – or about $750 per person in the United States. That doesn’t include the massive personal costs to addicts and their families. Drugs and alcohol are typically extremely expensive, and a person who is substance dependent may spend a significant portion of their earnings on substances.
Excessive drug addiction also affects judgment, and performance at work. As a result, many addicts overspend, go into debt, or get fired from their job. Drug addicts have a highly-increased chance of legal and medical problems.
Addiction can cost significantly more than rehab, and getting treatment for addiction is often cheaper than continuing an addiction.
For example, most opioids (the most commonly abused drug) and alcohol cause severe damage to the liver and the gastrointestinal tract. A medical emergency can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. Getting clean is also better for your health, and will dramatically lower risks of catching blood-borne diseases, suffering permanent damage because of the substance, and dying.
Getting Started
If you or someone you love is suffering from substance use disorder, it’s important to get help, and quickly. While getting started may seem overwhelming, especially with the multitude of choices, treatment options, and payment options, the best thing to do is just to start.
We recommend using the following process:
- Discuss your situation and needs with one of our addiction advisers
- Choose a treatment option that works for you and your lifestyle and determine costs
- Contact insurance and determine how much your plan will cover
- Raise additional funds through a solution that makes sense for your lifestyle and situation
- Attend treatment
