If you need professional help for an addiction to alcohol or another drug, do you have to pay for it yourself, or does insurance cover drug treatment?
Learn more about our drug rehab programs in Atlanta or verify your insurance now.
Does Insurance Cover Drug Treatment?
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in 2010, most insurance companies are required to cover drug treatment:
- Mental health and substance use disorder (addiction) services are among the 10 essential health benefits that ACA marketplace accounts must fund.
- The ACA also bars insurance providers from setting annual or lifetime limits on coverage for addiction treatment and other essential health benefits.
- Most major private and public insurers, including Medicaid and Medicare, adhere to ACA regulations.
The ACA isn’t the only piece of federal legislation that addresses using your insurance to pay for drug treatment.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) mandates that coverage for mental illnesses and addictions must be equal to coverage for medical concerns. This means that insurers cannot establish a higher copay for mental health services, or limit drug treatment to fewer sessions, when compared to covered medical care.
What Types of Drug Treatment Does Insurance Cover?
Drug treatment is a general term that can refer to several types of care. At the program level, common options include:
- Detox: On either an inpatient or outpatient basis, detox programs can help you get through withdrawal safely and with minimal discomfort.
- Residential: At the residential level, you will live at the center where you receive treatment. Typical features include multiple types of therapy and round-the-clock supervision.
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP): PHPs offer full days of care without a residential requirement. Our PHP is in session 9 a.m.—3:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday. In the evenings and on Sunday, you can return to your home or to a supported residence.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP): Flexibility is a key feature of treatment at the IOP level. Our IOP offers three hours of treatment per day, four or five days per week. To best fit our clients’ s schedules, we offer morning, evening, and virtual (online) IOP options.
- Outpatient treatment: Outpatient therapy sessions, which can be scheduled at the frequency that’s best for you, can be a valuable source of long-term recovery support after you’ve completed treatment at any or all of the levels listed above.
Within these programs, treatment may involve a wide range of services, such as:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Process groups
- Psychoeducational groups
- Family therapy and education
- Trauma therapy
- Relapse prevention education
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
How Do I Know if My Insurance Will Cover Drug Treatment?
To find out if your insurance covers drug treatment – and to determine the extent of that coverage – you need to either read your policy or get in touch with your insurer.
One of the many benefits of choosing Buckhead Behavioral Health is that we can take care of this for you, so that you can focus your full attention on your health. With your permission, we can coordinate directly with your insurance provider to confirm your coverage.
We can also provide your insurance company with whatever treatment-related documentation they need so there aren’t any preventable holdups in processing your claims.
Prior to starting treatment with us, you will have a clear understanding of what your insurance plan covers, what information they need to pre-approve your care or process your claims, and if there are any costs that you may be responsible for.
How Can I Find a Drug Treatment Center that Accepts My Insurance?
The only way to be sure that a drug treatment center accepts your insurance is to contact the center and ask.
In addition to confirming if you can use your insurance to pay for drug treatment, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask other questions about the center’s programming and personnel, such as:
- What levels of care does the center offer?
- What types of therapy and other services does the center provide?
- How will they determine which programs and services are right for you?
- What are the qualifications of the people who will be providing your care?
- Does the center treat people who also have anxiety, depression, or other co-occurring mental health concerns?
- Does the center offer family therapy or other types of family support services?
- How long will you need to stay in treatment?
- What type of alumni support programming does the center offer?
- What happens if you have a relapse after you complete treatment?
Personalization is a key element of effective drug treatment. Therapies and other services that are ideal for one client may be of minimal value to another.
This is why it’s so important to ask questions ahead of time, so you can find the provider whose services and overall treatment approach align with your needs, goals, and expectations.
Any reputable center should be happy to answer all your questions. If a center either can’t or won’t provide you with the information you’re seeking, that may be a sign that it’s not the right place for you.
Learn More About Drug Treatment Options in Atlanta
Buckhead behavioral health offers personalized outpatient care for adults who have been struggling with addictions and co-occurring mental health concerns.
Treatment options at our outpatient rehab in Atlanta, GA, include detox, a PHP, an IOP, an evening IOP, and a virtual IOP. In each of these programs, you can expect to receive customized care and comprehensive support from a team of dedicated professionals who are invested in your success.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
