Does insurance pay for rehab?

First off, let’s start with some congratulations. If youre reading this article and you or someone that you love is actually deciding to commit themselves to get treatment, then that's fantastic and we wish you the best of luck. The hardest part about treating an addiction is admitting that the addiction is there in the first place.

However, once you have acknowledged the addiction, you'll be able to begin fighting it. You can employ techniques and tactics learned throughout life or from a support group to help you overcome your cravings, but this isn't always the most effective way to stay sober. The best, most effective way to get sober is to attend an inpatient rehab service.

Unfortunately, inpatient rehabs are also fairly expensive. One of the most common worries among the families and friends of loved ones trying to seek help for their addiction is the financial burden. Some rehab facilities cost upwards of a thousand bucks a day, though these are mostly higher-end facilities.

It's normal to wonder if your insurance would cover the cost of rehab. That would take a lot of stress off your shoulders, right? Insurance can help you out but it depends on the progress of your treatment and the type of treatment that you're getting. Naturally, more expensive treatments might not be entirely covered by insurance.

Types of Rehab
There are a couple main rehab programs available, at least two of which will probably be available to you in your immediate area - inpatient and outpatient rehab. These programs may or may not come with a targeted detox.

• Inpatient rehab, as we've mentioned, is the best type of program for someone suffering from a serious addiction and who has already tried getting their addiction treated through either an outpatient rehab program or through their own personal sobriety regime. People who most benefit from inpatient rehab will have been addicted to drugs or alcohol for many months or years and will, most often, have to go through withdrawal symptoms before they can start their actual treatment. For this reason it's recommended that inpatient attendees go through a medically supervised detox at the facility or at a local hospital.
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  Outpatient rehab is a much more flexible method of treatment that's also a lot less expensive. Outpatient rehab allows its registered members to schedule their recovery around their lives - they can manage to go to work and school while they're attending outpatient as long as they make it to the scheduled meetings and therapy sessions that they have during the week. Outpatient rehab, while it's much more flexible than inpatient rehab, also comes with a lot more risks. Since you're free to come and go from the facility, you'll be much more capable of actually following through with a relapse. If you think this is a problem, then inpatient rehab is probably a better choice for you.

Getting Insurance for Rehab
In the US, there are a couple options available for someone who is hoping to have their treatment covered by insurance. Both public and private insurance companies tend to compensate for at least a bit of the cost of inpatient and outpatient programs.

Pretty much any type of addiction can be covered - not just substance abuse problems, which many people understand to be the only type of addictions. Process addictions, like gambling addictions or sexual addictions can also be covered with the proper insurance plans.

This is in stark contrast to days past, where insurance companies wouldn't be caught compensating someone struggling with a drug addiction thanks to the negative stigma associated with it.

Nowadays, many insurance firms recognize the serious nature of addiction and the negative effects it can have not only on the addict but those directly around them and even in the society the addict is a member of. Healthcare programs are beginning to look at addiction treatment, or preventative measures to avoid developing addictions, as a sort of precautionary treatment that can prevent the development of much worse problems.

They also recognize the importance of paying a one-time fee for a quality, comprehensive treatment program to quash the problem as soon as possible, instead of paying for another treatment program down the road.

The Controversy
Some people are apprehensive about the fact that health insurance companies are getting involved with addiction treatment. They worry that this will impact the quality of addiction treatment or have a sprawling effect on treatment across the country.

It's important for people who are apprehensive to remember that insurance companies don't make their money unless the patient is properly rehabilitated. If their patients don't return to society and lead healthy lifestyles, they won't make any money because the person will still be struggling with addiction. This gives insurance firms real incentive to help with addiction.

How much is covered?
To find out the exact amount that's covered you're going to have to talk to your healthcare insurance provider. It's different depending on your insurance, the type of treatment you need, and the area you live.

• People who don't have behavioural or drug addictions covered by their insurance, public insurance is always an option. This can take a good chunk of the price out of inpatient rehab and make it much more accessible. There are also a couple free rehabs (rehabs) that are subsidized by the government and would accept state insurance for payment.
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  Private insurance isn't always the best idea for addiction treatment. In fact, it might end up costing you more money if you compare the price directly to that of public insurance. However, private insurance will offer you a much wider range of potential treatment options that can be covered. If you want versatility in your insurance plan, private is the way to go. You'll pay more for the insurance, but the wide range of treatment facilities that you can access and the more comprehensive coverage will make it worthwhile.

You'll want to communicate directly with a rehab facility and your insurance provider for the most accurate information.

What are Medicaid and Medicare?
Medicaid and Medicare are actually two of the most common methods that people use to pay for their rehabilitation from a drug or alcohol problem. These are both state-funded medical insurance programs, and they're able to provide low-cost and sometimes free treatment to people with substance abuse problems.

Each program is unique and offers different features. Each program also has different prerequisites that determine whether or not a person is eligible for benefits. These rules can differ from state to state, and the rules tend to change on an annual basis.

This can be good news or bad news - if you have been declined for Medicare in the past, you may be eligible to receive treatment now. Conversely, you may find yourself ineligible if the rules change against your favour.

Medicaid for Substance Abuse Treatment
So what's Medicaid all about? Medicaid is a publically funded insurance program that intends to help low-income families with social funding that they may otherwise struggle with. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, insurance providers like Medicaid are required to cover the most basic aspects of recovery from substance abuse problems.

The tricky part here is that Medicaid may cover substance abuse treatment, but unfortunately not all facilities accept it as a viable form of payment. You will have to do your own research to find out which treatment facilities accept Medicaid as a form of payment; we'll be providing more information about that later in the article.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can help you determine some facilities near you that accept Medicaid as a form of payment.

Eligibility for Medicaid The most basic eligibility requirements for Medicaid are as following. You need only meet one of the following requirements to be eligible.

• * Being a senior (over 65 years old)
• * Being a minor (under 19 years old)
• * Being pregnant
• * Being a parent of one or more children
• * Having a median income within a certain bracket

Those are the general requirements, but as we've mentioned, Medicaid eligibility can differ from state to state. Some states allow all adults at a certain level to be covered by Medicaid. People who receive Supplemental Security Income are usually eligible to receive benefits regardless.

Obamacare requires that people earn less than 133% of the federal definition of poverty to be eligible to receive benefits, but a person living about this poverty line might still be eligible to receive benefits if they are within a certain income bracket.

• * If your family is a single person, you can't make more than $15,654.10 annually.
• * If your family has two people, you cannot have an annual income of more than $21,186.90.
• * If your family has three people, your maximum income cannot be more than $27,121.50.

However, these rules are just a general guideline and do not guarantee eligibility. You must check with your local state guidelines and any local facilities to find out for certain whether or not you are eligible to receive Medicaid payment.

What can Medicaid cover? People who receive Medicaid don't have co-payments for substance abuse treatment in the majority of states. There are some that charge co-payments, and for these states, there's an out-of-pocket maximum that Medicaid recipients must pay.

Medicaid should cover all of the following services in most states and at least part of them in all states:

• * Screening to determine your treatment needs
• * Intervention in the case of emergency treatment being required
• * Drug maintenance, like opioid maintenance therapy, and medications to reduce cravings
• * Counseling for family members and loved ones
• * Inpatient rehabilitation and long-term residential treatment for serious addictions
• * Detox programs to help people through the immediate withdrawal phase
• * Outpatient rehab and outpatient visits for those with less severe addictions
• * Other mental health services that are required to help the treatment progress successfully

These conditions are the primary prerequisites that one needs to meet to obtain Medicaid treatment. You need not meet all the criteria, but at least one of them must be present for you to receive benefits.

Medicare for Substance Abuse Problems Medicare is typically available for any senior citizens over the age of 65, as well as anyone who is considered to have a disability in the medical system. Medicare is a monthly premium and the premium is calculated based on the recipient's current income. People who are less financially stable are going to have to pay less of a premium.

Medicare covers the cost of inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment. There are four parts that cover different areas of the substance abuse treatment process.

The parts of Medicare

• * Part A - Insurance for hospital stays. Part A can also cover the cost of inpatient rehabilitation for up to 60 days without a co-insurance payment being made, however, people using part A of the Medicare program are going to have to pay a deductible. Over the course of a lifetime, Medicare will only cover 190 days of inpatient treatment.
• * Part B - Medical insurance. This part is used more to cover outpatient rehab for people who have a less serious addiction. Medicare can cover up to 80% of the costs associated with outpatient rehab. This can include therapy, any drugs that are needed for cravings, maintenance, or for detox treatment and withdrawal management, as well as any intervention that are required to help someone get through their treatment program. Part B will also help you manage any co-occurring disorders that occur alongside your substance abuse problem.
• * Part C - Medicare-approved private insurance. If you feel that you need to receive more benefits from Medicare in accordance to your substance abuse treatment program, you can try for part C. The out-of-pocket fees and the comprehensive level of coverage is different for people opting for level C, and they may be more expensive.
• * Part D - Prescription insurance. Part D is useful for people who are hoping to cover the cost of their addiction-related medication. A lot of people who are recovering from an illicit drug problem often need medications to help them manage their withdrawals or the cravings associated with drug use. These medications, which can help a person stay clean from drugs and alcohol, are covered by part D of Medicare.

Dual Eligibility It's possible for you to be eligible to receive benefits from both Medicaid and Medicare. To find out, you'll have to check the eligibility requirements and then apply for benefits from each program and apply them to the cost of your treatment. You'll have to be eligible for Medicare to receive both benefits, which means you'll have to be a senior citizen or have to be a disabled individual.

Finding a State-funded Rehab Center According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2014, there were more than 4 million people who struggled with substance abuse problems that year. Only 2.3 million of these people got their treatment from a facility that was specifically designed to treat addiction problems.

Finding a facility that is funded by the State can help people who didn't make it into this statistic. Many people are worried about a stigma being associated with publically funded treatment programs, but when push comes to shove, you are gambling with your life here. It's much more important to receive any form of professional treatment and face a bit of social judgment than it is to risk trying to finish your recovery yourself – especially if you have already tried and failed to seek treatment on your own.

It's important to know that the treatment facilities that are covered by Medicare and Medicaid still provide evidence-based therapy and other medically-approved therapeutic methods and counseling interventions to help people overcome their addiction problems. The tools and programs used to help people gain back control of their lives are the same as those used in facilities that require patients to pay out of their own pocket.

What are State-Funded Rehab Centers? A lot of people don't really know where to start when they're hoping to find a state-funded rehab center. These facilities are organizations that use money provided by the government and distributed by the state to help people overcome and manage their substance abuse problems.

These programs are absolutely crucial for people who don't have a high-income bracket and struggle with addiction problems. It can be very difficult for low-income people to seek treatment when they're trying to manage a drug addiction, a job, and a family all at once. This is one reason why so many people never manage to seek treatment.

The money that goes to fund these programs comes from a wide variety of different sources. It's difficult for people to figure out exactly how much money they're entitled to because the benefits vary from state to state, just like the requirements for receiving treatment.

It's important that you check with your local state funding bursaries because a lot of the time, state-funded addiction treatment programs are included as a part of other state services and social services. These could be a part of child services, criminal justice programs, or any other areas that your state deals with welfare programs. Your connection and eligibility to these programs may affect your eligibility to receive treatment for your substance abuse problem.

How soon can I expect treatment? Since you're going to be paying for your treatment program with money that is granted by the State, that means that you're dealing with a limited amount of finances that are going to be distributed among a lot of people. That means that there is going to potentially be quite the waiting list for you to get into the facilities that are covered by these insurance programs.

Furthermore, you may or may not be able to receive priority for treatment. For example, pregnant women are more liable to receive treatment before someone who is in good health and merely struggling with their median income; this would subsequently mean that people who aren't pregnant are going to be bumped down the waiting list.

Don't let this deter you from seeking help, though. It's better to be on a waiting list than it is to simply eschew seeking treatment whatsoever. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has noted that people are much more likely to actually seek substance abuse treatment if it's easily available at the moment that they actually desire to make a change, so a lot of these institutions provide outpatient rehab or maintenance therapy for people in the meantime while they're on the waiting list for more intensive inpatient treatment.

How does this treatment compare to non-state funded treatment? Since you'll be dealing with a treatment program that is funded by limited finances, you won't have access to the best technologies that state-of-the-art rehabilitation programs can offer.

However, this by no means suggests that the treatment you'll receive won't be effective. Treatment at any level is usually better at providing a positive outcome, or at least pushing someone in the right direction, than having no treatment whatsoever. State-funded programs have shown great success in providing patients with the following, and much more:

• * Lowering the instance and frequency of substance abuse; increasing the length and frequency of abstinent periods
• * Improving personal health, both mentally and physically
• * Improving social and familial relationships damaged by substance abuse problems
• * Increasing public and community health and relationships
• * Improving the safety of the addicted individuals as well as those associated with them

All of these factors are improved notably more than in cases where people sought no treatment whatsoever or declined treatment out of fear that it would not be adequate when compared to private treatment.

Publicly funded substance abuse programs have been shown to lower crime rates while being much more cost-effective than private options. This makes state-funded treatment programs just as valuable as private programs – they may not provide the same level of comprehensive treatment, but considering they provide it at no cost or at a fraction of the price, you can recognize that they are substantially higher in value than trying to treat the problem yourself or with your own social supports.

What can I expect from a State-funded program? Not many state-funded programs use newer, alternative treatment methods. A lot of treatment programs these days are exploring alternative, holistic treatment methods to broaden the efficacy of treatment programs and to offer a wider variety of options to help people who may not be responsive to the traditional treatment methods, like the 12-step program.

While these programs tend to rely on these traditional, evidence-based programs, that's not necessarily a bad thing. These programs have been used for dozens of years and have been proven to be reliable and effective, at least as an introduction in the path to rehabilitation.

State-funded programs may not have the same level of in-house counseling and support as privately funded programs. They may only offer a detox program and medical management therapy. However, these programs often refer the client to counseling services and self-help groups which may, in turn, be covered by Medicaid or Medicare. This is in contrast to privately funded rehabilitation programs, most of which offer counseling and therapy at the facility itself.

These facilities are also not likely to be as comfortable as privately-run rehabilitation facilities. A lot of privately funded facilities are developed to provide as 'homely' of an atmosphere as possible, to make their patients feel comfortable and to enable them to approach treatment in a manner that doesn't make them feel like they're doing something so far out of their comfort zone.

These programs are intended as a basic utility with one goal – stop the patient from abusing drugs and return them to a functional life as a member of society. They are not intended to create a spa-like environment to help the patient feel extremely comfortable and pampered. For those who truly want to overcome their addiction, this environment should be enough for them to take steps in the proper direction.

Finding a state-funded rehab

If you're ready for treatment then there are a few things that you can do to help yourself find a state-funded rehab facility. The recoveryfriend.org is a great place to begin. This directory has information for each state's drug and alcohol abuse policy and will provide funding and service information. This is a great way to find out information about your specific state.

recoveryfriend.org, as we have mentioned already, is a great way to find a list of treatment facilities that accept funding from Medicaid and Medicare. They have an interactive page that allows you to engage in a visual search of state centers and local facilities based on your municipality. You can also search with filters that allow you to narrow the search query based on your location, address, and certain preferences that might make it easier for you to find a suitable facility.

Alcoholics Anonnymous

Whether or not you've struggled with an addiction of your own, chances are that you've heard about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA is considered to be the grandfather of all group support groups for people recovering from addictions. It's been around for a long time, it’s been studied for its effectiveness, and it continues to help people overcome their addictions.

People who have struggled with addiction often report that AA or any of the other meetings are one of the most effective methods of staying sober. What is it about these support meetings that makes them so effective, though? That's the question that we aim to answer today.

What is AA?
Alcoholics Anonymous is a group support group for recovering addicts. These groups enable recovering addicts to open up and share information, advice, and stories about their experiences in an effort to help each other overcome and beat their addictions.

The groups are not a part of an actual organization, but AA has a website online that has information about the organization and the way meetings are generally run. Each individual AA meeting is run by its own person, and may have different rules or regulations than other AA meetings.

Alcoholics Anonymous groups are known as chapters, and there are different chapters in different locales. The website for AA might give suggestions about how to run a new group, but these rules are not always set in stone and do not reflect the actual goings-on at all the AA meetings in the world.

Who Needs AA?
Alcoholics Anonymous and the other support groups are helpful because addicts often lack the necessary social supports to actually overcome their addiction. Addiction is a very difficult thing to overcome, and it’s especially difficult to overcome on your own. Unfortunately, it’s really hard for a lot of addicts to find social supports because drugs and drug users have a very harsh stigma surrounding them.

Because of the stigma that surrounds drugs and drug users, most addicts aren't able to openly communicate about their addiction. This creates a number of barriers in seeking treatment.

They may not be open to their families, for fear of being rejected or losing privileges. This means that they may not have the financial means necessary to seek help for their addiction.

They may not be open and honest with their friends about their addiction. This will make it much more difficult for someone to actually understand where they stand with their addiction and how severe it is. If a drug addict can't express themselves, they often end up living a life of deception that prevents them from fully understanding their addiction and deciding when they need help.

Drug addicts usually have to keep their addictions hidden from work and school, which can make it difficult for them to attend their studies or their work on a consistent basis.

Do I need AA?
Not everybody needs to go to AA when they struggle with alcohol addiction. However, a lot of rehab facilities will recommend that somebody attends AA as part of an aftercare plan, to help them avoid relapsing and prevent falling back into behaviors that could lead them to relapse.

If you have struggled with alcoholism, and you have tried to quit before and have relapsed, you might need to go to AA. A lot of alcoholics have reported that they relapsed continually, no matter how many methods of rehabilitation they tried. They report that the group environment gives them a purpose and a sense of belonging that encourages them to abstain from alcohol.

Having a group of caring, loving people who are willing to help walk you through your recovery is one of the best ways for you to overcome an addiction. No longer will the problem rest on your shoulders alone - you will have other people counting on you and urging you towards recovery.

This is helpful for another reason - you have people depending on you. If you relapse, you won't only be disappointing yourself, but you'll be disappointing a group of people who have your best intentions at heart and want you to do good for yourself.

What happens at AA?
There are many group supports and they all follow a very similar formula. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Heroin and Cocaine Anonymous, and the majority of group supports that are related to addiction tend to have an itinerary as followed.

Meetings are often facilitated by a group leader, though this leader doesn't actually have a different status than anyone else in the group. They may be the individual who organized the support group, or the person who owns the building that the group is hosted in.

Smart Recovery

Incorporated in 1992, Smart Recovery is a self-empowering support group for addiction recovery with multicultural and multi-lingual membership all over the globe. Supporting and helping various individuals and participants with drug abuse issues for many years, Smart Recovery offers the latest tool for addiction recovery based on latest scientific research and advanced development to help them overcome their problems and drug addiction issues. Participant and members in the worldwide community are welcome to join a free, self-empowering and science-based mutual help groups. It explicitly bases most of its recovery program on evidence-based addiction treatment which is applied on a support group setting.

Smart Recovery is generally based on scientific knowledge, wherein the program used the combination of the principle and techniques taken from CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), motivational interviewing found in MET (Motivational Enhancement Therapy), REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior), as well as other scientifically validated treatment and research. The organizations program mainly emphasizes in four areas referred to as 4-Point Program in the process recovery, which includes Building Motivation, Problem Solving, Coping with the Urges, and Lifestyle. The organization also offer an advanced tool known as Smart Toolbox which offers a collection of various REBT, CBT and MET methods that address these 4-Point Program. Under the 4 Program, there are ten recovery tools included in the Smart Toolbox, such as:

• Stages of Change
• Change Plan Worksheet
• Benefit/Cost Analysis (or Decision Making Worksheet)
• The ABCs of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) for Emotional Upsets
• The ABCs of REBT for Urge Coping
• Destructive Imagery, Self-talk Awareness and Refusal Method
• Brainstorming
• Role Playing and Rehearsing
• Unconditional Self-Acceptance
• Hierarchy of Values (HOV)

It can be used as a standalone recovery support program for those people seeking for help recovering from their drug addictions, but it doesnt insist on being inclusive. Furthermore, the program offered by Smart Recovery doesn’t use the 12 Step Principle which makes up the basis for different Anonymous self-help groups (such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholic Anonymous). But for those participant who used to attend 12-Step Program, Smart Recovery is highly suggested as a supplement or alternative for the programs offered by Anonymous groups. The meetings are free for those who are wishing to attend and lead their life to a drug-free life. More than 1,500 weekly group meetings are led by volunteer facilitators across the globe.

The organization mostly provides online support and resources not only for volunteers but also for those attending the group in one or more online meetings. Meetings are also held in various correctional facilities in different states including Florida, Arizona, California, Maryland, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey and Washington. The facilitators are non-professionals or usually in recovery themselves, however, some non-recovering people and professional facilitators also volunteer their time for the purpose of community service. The services and meetings provided by Smart Recovery are open to anyone for FREE, and donations are requested. Closed meeting is also rendered and reserved for those individuals in their recovery.