By Sandy Baker
You may know you need drug or alcohol addiction help, but you’re worried about paying for it. Finances are a valid concern, especially in the current recession, but help may be available to you.
Get the Help You Need
In 2018, more than 23 million Americans struggled with some type of substance use disorder. Of those, around 21 million people over the age of 12 needed formal addiction treatment for it. Yet, just 3.7 million people obtained treatment, according to a report from SAMHSA. Lack of access to treatment is one of the reasons this number is so low. Believing treatment will be too expensive is another.
Various factors determine what you’ll pay for drug addiction treatment. Some of those include the level of care you need as well as the type of insurance you have. For example, residential treatment programs cost more because they provide more comprehensive treatment. Outpatient programs cost less but may not be ideal for someone who needs medical support to detox. Some facilities accept more insurance options than others.
It’s best to choose the right level of care for your addiction. Often, there are several ways to pay for these costs.
Utilizing Health Insurance to Cover Addiction Treatment
Many private health insurance plans cover substance use disorders as a component of their mental health care. If the policy was purchased through the Healthcare Marketplace, the law requires that the policy provides the same level of care for mental health as it does for medical needs.
Your first step, then, is to determine the amount and type of benefits your health insurance offers. You can do this by:
- Looking at your insurance plan to determine coverage
- Calling your insurance provider to inquire about coverage
- Reach out to our admissions team to determine if our services are covered by your plan (this is a no-obligation, no-risk step)
When you do learn about your coverage, determine what specific types of care it offers, such as:
- The coverage percentage for in-network and out-of-network treatment programs
- The length of treatment available
- The type of treatment covered
- Costs not included
- Deductibles and copays required
Privately Paying for Your Care
When you are unsure if you have coverage to cover addiction costs in any of these areas, you may wish to consider private pay. At The Ranch at Dove Tree, we aim to be very clear and transparent about the costs of care.
We encourage you to reach out to our team if you have questions about how to pay for addiction treatment, or you are unsure if you can obtain financial support. In many cases, our admissions team can help you to find support for your financial needs.
Can You Afford Not to Get Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment?
Another way to look at the cost of addiction treatment is to consider what happens if you do not get care. Not getting care has its own financial and physical costs.
- Overdosing means costly hospital bills.
- You may lose time at work or school if you are intoxicated.
- Going to work intoxicated may result in losing your position.
- College students may lose scholarships if they are unable to meet the requirements of them due to drug or alcohol use.
- You may have to pay for mistakes you make, such as a car accident due to intoxicated driving.
The cost of using drugs and alcohol only increases over time as your tolerance and need for more substances increases.
Drug and alcohol addiction weighs you down. You cannot go back in time to change the decisions you made. You can get the help you need to move forward. Our team at The Ranch at Dove Tree wants to help you. Let our admissions team help you determine if you have financial coverage and how we can help you to get the affordable care you need to reclaim your health and your future.
