Addiction is a serious and complicated disease. Most people aren’t able to kick it without help. Detoxing from alcohol or drug addiction can be dangerous and unnecessarily painful without medical assistance, and even after detox, living sober without support can be an impossible task. There are too many ways to access your drug of choice and too many ups and downs in life that could trigger a relapse. The truth is addiction never goes away. You learn to manage your cravings by learning to manage your life in a healthy and positive way.
(Mikhail Nilov/pexels)
The question on many people’s minds is how much rehab costs. Whether it’s inpatient or outpatient, the program offers extensive support, counseling, and medical assistance. It’s a medical facility involving multiple specialists. All such programs are expensive. Yet you’d never balk at having surgery for a burst appendix. The surgery could save your life. Rehab is much the same. It stops the disease of addiction from destroying or even taking your life. The choice of whether or not you get help shouldn’t hinge on cost, and that’s where insurance comes into play.
So, does medical insurance cover rehabilitation services? What if you don’t have insurance? And does it matter to your insurance if you use an LDS drug treatment center?
Does Insurance Pay for Rehab?
Insurance paperwork can be difficult to decipher, making you wonder what’s covered and what isn’t. You’re not alone if you’ve looked at your coverage pages at the beginning of the year and thought them unintelligible. Your insurance company will give you the specifics if you call them. They will know how rehabilitation services are classified, what your copay will be based on your purchased insurance policy, and what limitations they’ve placed on that coverage.
In general, however, as addiction is considered a disease and rehab is a treatment center used to cure that disease, most insurance policies will cover rehab, whether you use an inpatient or outpatient program.
What if You Don’t Have Insurance?
There are reasons why you can only sign up for insurance at certain times of the year or after specific events, like changing jobs. The insurance company doesn’t want you to wait until you need insurance to get it. If everyone did that, they wouldn’t have money to pay their claims.
Insurance is based on the principle that you will pay more into your policy than you will ever need. Barring that, they’re expecting that the majority of people will pay enough to cover the cost of the few truly injured or ill individuals.
Along those lines, many policies will deny coverage for existing conditions. If you wait until you already have a significant health condition before buying insurance, you will find it difficult to get health coverage.
If you don’t have insurance, there are some options. First is www.healthcare.gov. People with trouble finding coverage anywhere else still have options that will base premiums on their income, ensuring everyone has access to medical care. Anyone making more than $20,000 a year can qualify for one of their programs. The online application is relatively quick, and you’ll get a call from one of their customer care representatives, who will set you up.
If you don’t make $20,000 a year, however, you fall under the purview of Medicaid. Go to your local Department of Health and Human Services, and they will walk you through the application process. They can help you know what is covered and if you will have any copay’s based on your income level.
The last option is to set up payment plans to cover the cost of rehabilitation.
What About Faith-Based Drug Rehab?
Insurance companies don’t care if there are faith-based aspects to the recovery center you choose, so long as it’s a licensed medical facility. Licensed faith-based treatment centers should treat detox symptoms with medication and addiction with therapy like any other rehabilitation center.
Most LDS treatment centers use the 12-step recovery program because it has the best track record of success. The main difference is that instead of using a generic “higher power,” they name the higher power Jesus Christ and teach you scripture-based methods of reaching out to Him for help.
Insurance companies generally understand the role faith plays in recovery from any disease. Faith gives people hope, purpose, and strength. Whether the insurance company agrees with your choice of clergy doesn’t matter.
Conclusion
If you need rehab services, don’t delay. Waiting just makes things worse. You deserve a brighter future, and it’s available through our Christian treatment centers in Utah and Idaho. Talk to your staff about insurance coverage. We can help you understand what your insurance plan will cover. If you don’t have insurance, we can work out payment plans so that you get the help you need now.