It’s Time for a Healthcare Benefits Check-up

‘Tis the season for you to make the most of your health insurance benefits. With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, your health benefits may not be the first thing on your ‘to do’ list. Realistically, your current health benefits probably haven’t even crossed your mind. However, now is an opportune time to take a look at the coverage you have and to consider what will best fit your needs in the New Year.

Maximizing your current health insurance plan

If you have been considering addiction treatment for yourself or a loved one, now could be the most cost-effective time to get help. Through the past 10 months of the year, it’s likely that doctor appointments and other health visits have been logged. Now, with less than two months left in the year that could mean your deductible and out-of-pocket costs are close to being met or have been met. This is good news because little to no deductibles or out-of-pocket payments could make addiction treatment much more affordable. We understand that insurance can be complicated. If you’d like to know if you or your loved one have benefits for alcohol or drug treatment, our admissions team is available 24/7/365 (yes, even late nights, weekends, and holidays). Each person on the admissions team has their own story of recovery and can relate to how difficult it is to pick up the phone to make the call for help. They are available to answer questions and if you’d like, check your insurance benefits. Knowing what you have available to you, to maximize your healthcare insurance, can open opportunities to get the treatment you or your loved need to lead a healthier, sober life.

Giving the Gift of Sobriety

You might be thinking, “It’s the holidays. I don’t want to make any big changes right now.” We get it. There’s a lot going on. The holidays bring additional stressors to day-to-day life. The number of social events alone — staff parties, gatherings with friends, neighbors, faith groups, or your child’s classroom, and family get-togethers – can be overwhelming. These busy days and weeks require each of us to take time for ourselves. Self-care is vital at this time of year. Giving yourself and your loved ones the “person you dream to be” or “person you used to be before addiction” is a gift worth giving. To give that gift it’ll be necessary to take the time for addiction treatment. It’s not selfish to seek treatment. It’s brave and a sign of strength. In return, you receive the gift of a sober, healthy life and your loved ones get the real YOU back. Here are the facts. People who struggle with addiction can spiral during these last two months of the year. Drug overdoses actually increase during the holiday season. Binge drinking and alcohol abuse also increase. Now is the time to act and get help. Although it isn’t ideal to be apart from your loved ones during the holidays, waiting until the New Year to get help could be detrimental. If you or your loved one have met some of the insurance costs, it can be a good time of year to get treatment and start the New Year with a healthier, sober life. Addiction recovery is truly a gift to give and receive.

Looking Toward 2018 … Open Enrollment

Perhaps your current plan doesn’t have the coverage you need for addiction treatment. Open enrollment is the time to select a plan that will meet your healthcare needs. Since many health insurances change at the start of a new year, you should consider what 2018 will include and if those benefits will fulfill your needs. As you consider your healthcare needs for the New Year, ask yourself:

• Is my current plan covering the services that I/my family needs covered?
• Are there additional needs that may come up in 2018 that will need to be considered?

Taking a little time to figure out your needs and/or your family’s needs will help you choose the best plan for the New Year. Every organization has different open enrollment periods for their staff. Your employer should provide you with the plan options and a minimum of two weeks to make your 2018 selection. State health exchanges are offering open enrollment between November 1, 2017, and December 15, 2017. You can visit healthcare.gov for more information about plans and enrollment. We encourage you to take the time to invest in your health and wellbeing by looking at your current plan. Now could be the best, most affordable time of year to start on the road to recovery. If your benefits don’t currently cover treatment, it’s a good time to shop insurances to get the plan that will fit your needs in the New Year. Our admissions team is available if you have questions. Call them at 888-618-1284.