By: Lakeview Health
Many addicts and their families wonder if their health insurance pays for addiction treatment, just as they are ready to seek help. While each policy and its coverage may be different than the next, the Affordable Care Act enacted some changes in how insurance companies must view addiction rehabilitation. It is easy to verify if your insurance pays for rehab. According to the White House, the ACA named substance use disorders on its list of ten essential elements of health benefits for insurance sold on Health Insurance Exchanges. Now, because more insurance pays for drug rehab, more addicts can seek treatment than ever before. At this time, the Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating specific substance abuse services to determine which treatments will be covered in the future.
Why Most Health Insurance Pays for Rehab
Besides the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, there are several reasons why substance abuse treatment is now more accessible to addicts. One of those is the American Medical Association’s recent recognition of substance addiction as a true medical condition. By recognizing addiction as a disease, doctors have been enabled to make diagnoses and charge insurance companies for services provided to addicts under medical billing and coding categories of the International Coding of Diseases, also known as ICD-10. Another reason more insurance pays for rehab is that the ramifications of addiction are far-reaching and more expensive than providing for payment of recovery. Addicts suffer more hospital visits, diseases and other health problems than other Americans. They also create immense stress on the people around them, such as family members. This stress causes health problems for their loved ones, who must then seek additional medical and therapeutic care, such as cardiac care, psychotherapy and other forms of treatment. The competitive landscape of insurance and how it is offered on the Internet creates a more educated and aware potential policyholder, one who shops around for not only the best policy premium, but also the most applicable benefits. So for an insurance company to not provide this type of care would be a dismissal of a large segment of their potential customers.
How Insurance Pays for Rehab
How much rehab insurance will pay for varies from policy to policy. But most insurance policies at least partially cover the following:
- Assessment of the addiction and necessary treatments
- Medically Monitored Detox
- Residential treatment
- Outpatient treatment
- “Medically necessary” treatment services
“Medically necessary” is defined by the government as healthcare needed to diagnose and treat the disease or its symptoms using the most accepted standards of healthcare. By this, it is meant that treatment programs, a bed and meals may be covered, but luxury rehab services such as a private room and daily housekeeping services may not.
Find Out if Your Insurance Pays for Rehab
To find out how much of your health insurance pays for rehab, contact Lakeview Health at 866.704.7692 today for more information about treatment and how your policy will support recovery. Call today, and reclaim the life that drugs or alcohol took from you.
