Are you ready to overcome your addiction and return to sober, fulfilling life? Making the decision to enter addiction treatment is a commendable resolution. In fact, entering a treatment center to overcome your substance use disorder is the best choice you will ever make. However, how are you going to pay for it?
Imagine a person diagnosed with cancer having to decide if they will begin their chemotherapy because the cost of the treatment may be too high. It is simply ridiculous to even fathom; and yet, some people find themselves in this position every day.
Fortunately, many states either provide extensive options to cover the cost of addiction treatment, and others, like California, are passing new laws to address any shortcomings identified in their current coverage structure.
The Average Cost of Addiction Treatment
There are specific factors that directly impact the cost of addiction therapy, like the length of treatment program, the type of treatment you receive and the types of amenities offered. The most common treatment options are residential and outpatient – the first offers around-the-clock therapy in an in-patient setting, while the latter allows you to commute to and from treatment.
While most outpatient options are significantly less expensive, they are not a viable option for someone needing to detox off of a substance. In those cases, the cost for detoxification can run anywhere between $250 to $800 a day. On the other hand, residential rehab programs can routinely cost anywhere between $2,000 to $25,000, depending on the length of stay and amenities offered.
Does Insurance Cover Addiction Rehab Costs in California?
Currently, state and federal laws in California require insurance companies to cover addiction treatment the same way they cover physical health treatments. The California Health Benefits Review Program found that 99.8 percent of people enrolled in private health insurance plans have coverage for substance abuse disorders on par with other medical conditions.
The problem is the established coverage doesn’t define what is “medically necessary” in order to determine which treatments actually receive coverage. Because of that, advocates say private insurers often deny coverage for some drug abuse treatments based on their own restrictive definitions.
Insurance Coverage for Addiction Treatment in California
California is currently looking to address this issue by passing additional legal coverage requiring all private insurers to cover medically necessary drug addiction treatments for people struggling with a diagnosed substance use disorder.
The law would require insurance companies, when deciding whether a treatment is medically necessary, to follow the most recent criteria and guidelines developed by nonprofit professional associations, such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine. This would keep insurance companies from refusing to pay for essential addiction therapy and forcing patients to foot the entire bill on their own.
State Sen. Scott Wiener from San Francisco, the author of the bill, stated that many insurance companies routinely refuse drug addiction treatment for people by rationalizing that their addiction is not serious enough to warrant intensive therapeutic interventions.
According to him, “that’s like telling a stage one cancer patient they can’t get treated until they are at stage four.”
How to Pay for Addiction Rehab in California
The best way to understand if your current insurance provider is going to cover the costs associated with addiction therapy is to contact them directly to discuss your options. This is because the coverage provided by every insurance company can differ from person to person, depending on the type of coverage you initially requested, as well as the amount you pay per month.
That being said, most insurance companies offer some form of medical coverage to treat substance use disorders. The key is to know what you are entitled to and the best way to go about getting those incentives.
- Under the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, both private and public insurers are required to provide comprehensive and equitable coverage for substance use disorders.
- This typically guarantees a minimum of 21 to 30 days of residential treatment for someone diagnosed with an identifiable substance use disorder.
- After this initial allotment of days is exhausted, the treatment facility can contact your insurance provider and petition for an extended amount of days, depending on your progress in therapy and the clinical need for additional rehabilitative services.
If you have finally come to grips with the fact that your substance addiction is a deadly disease and you need clinical guidance to help you overcome its power, the last thing you need to deal with is not being able to afford the life-saving treatment your desperately need.
Fortunately, there are a number of viable options and insurance safeguards that ensure some, if not all, of your treatment costs will be covered by your current insurance provider. You must advocate for yourself, so take the initiative and contact your insurer directly to find out what they cover and how long they provide that coverage.
Holistic Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery
Offering an alternative to the traditional 12-step program, Ranch Creek Recovery offers a variety of all-encompassing, holistic in-patient treatment services. Your situation is unique, so your treatment must be customized to fit your individual recovery needs. Our admissions team is standing by and ready to help you uncover viable ways to pay for treatment.
You can quit your addiction. You can turn your life around. We’re here to help. Contact our admissions team to learn more about accepted insurances, finance options and much more.
