It is a sad fact of life that many people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. For most of these individuals, the answer to recovery starts with a stint in rehab. This is followed by years of follow-up and constantly renewing the commitment to remain sober. Not many people can afford to pay for rehab out of pocket, so they have to hope that their insurance will cover the expense.
Understanding Your Insurance
First it is important to keep in mind that a known addict may have difficulty obtaining insurance. For others, it depends on the specifics outlined in the policy. The policyholder will have to speak to a company representative to find out exactly what the policy covers. It is likely that the coverage extends only to inpatient stay. Other costs, such as follow-up treatments may have to be borne by the insured.
Even when the stay in rehab is covered, there is the co-pay to consider. Someone with a serious addiction problem could very well have financial difficulties to deal with. Remember too that addiction treatment centers participate with only some insurance providers.
Some addicts only seek help from rehab when they have lost everything. In this case, paying is not even an option. They may have burned so many personal bridges that they even lack basic support. There are rehab centers that are free although these are so over-booked they are tougher to get into.
A few rehab centers charge patients on completion of the program and give them a little leeway to come up with the money. Medicaid also covers some types of rehab programs. The Federal Government has tried to make up for areas where insurance falls short. State authorities do offer assistance to various rehab programs to assist people with limited financial means. This is likely to protect local economies from the lost man hours due to time spent in rehab.