How Much Should I Pay For Drug Rehab

You or a loved one is currently in the midst of a debilitating addiction and have decided that a trip to rehabilitation may be the best approach for kicking the drug dependency. Congratulations on making such a difficult, but ultimately beneficial decision!

Financing Options

The next step in the drug rehabilitation process is to determine financing options. Many drug abusers in need of intensive care unfortunately put off rehab or avoid it completely because of the often misguided perception that it's beyond the financial reach of the average person. While certain rehab programs are incredibly expensive, many others are accessible to those with tight budgets -- especially when insurance is added to the mix. The key is finding a rehabilitation program that works with your insurance plan and will provide the quality of care essential to achieving lasting recovery.

Luxury Rehab Facilities

Perhaps the largest driver of the stereotype of unaffordable rehab programs is the constant presence of luxury rehabilitation centers in the tabloids. Stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Glee'sCory Monteith have found themselves pursuing care in such facilities, which, upon first inspection, look more like vacation resorts than rehab programs. While the standard of care in such facilities is often quite high, the cost of providing extras such as organic meals, equine therapy and acupuncture can add up quickly.

Alternative Options For The Cash-Strapped Patient

While the luxury rehab facilities portrayed in the media definitely exist, they do not serve as the only option for the desperate patient looking to kick drugs for good. Several programs are available on pricing scale that is far more modest than one might suspect. Ultimately, patients hoping for more affordable options will need to do their research, checking out the websites for a variety of rehabilitation programs and then asking representative detailed questions about financing and insurance coverage.

Health Insurance and Rehabilitation

In many cases, the biggest determiner of rehab affordability will be the willingness of your insurance provider to cover the cost of inpatient care. In such circumstances, a low premium plan is actually a very bad thing, as you will find your copay for the rehabilitation visit far higher than what you'd prefer. No matter the nature of your premiums, you will need to determine which rehabilitation centers are in your provider's network and what type of care your health insurance plan will cover. Fortunately, when it comes to insurance coverage, you do have recent health care legislation in your favor. The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act should be viewed as a God-send, for, before this legislation was passed, insurance providers had the ability to completely deny coverage for those suffering from issues related to mental health and addiction. Now, your insurance plan must provide coverage in no more restrictive a manner than what they would for standard medical and surgical procedures. Of course, if your provider's coverage is shoddy for these standard procedures, you will still find yourself paying quite a bit out of pocket, but if you've traditionally had little trouble obtaining coverage for standard medical issues, paying for rehab might not be as difficult as you anticipated.

The Impact Of Obamacare

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act is not the only legislation impacting health insurance and rehabilitation. Also influential is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare. If you currently lack health insurance, your search for adequate coverage will be benefited by the fact that, under Obamacare, you cannot be denied due to pre-existing conditions. Your rates may be high as a result of diagnosed mental illness or addiction, but at least you have the option to obtain health insurance -- an option that likely would not have been available on the individual insurance market prior to 2010. While certain drug rehab programs cost upwards of $2,000 per day, you should not immediately cast off all facilities as being unaffordable. By choosing the right facility and applying health insurance to the bill, you may be able to emerge from rehabilitation paying very little out of pocket -- and more importantly, freeing yourself from the shackles of addiction.