Meth Rehab Treatment Insurance
Once you know that you’re ready for recovery, you’ll need to make plans to use your health insurance to cover meth treatment.
Paying for treatment out-of-pocket can be costly, but today’s long-term health insurance plans are long-term health insurance plans are required to cover medically necessary treatment for pre-existing conditions, including stimulant use disorders (like meth).
If you have health insurance, your treatment for meth addiction could be partially or completely covered!
Even if you know you have a health insurance plan that covers meth rehab, you’ll need to find out the specifics. No two plans offer exactly the same coverage. You might be responsible for a flat-rate cost, a percentage of your care cost, or no cost at all!
You’ll also need to know the process for getting your meth addiction treatment insurance coverage approved. Your insurance company will need you to follow their rules for coverage, such as getting a prior authorization if necessary.
With a little research, you can find yourself prepared and confident before your meth rehab treatment starts. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to have a great rehab outcome.
Learn the basics on meth rehab insurance coverage, what to expect for costs, and how to get the whole process started:
What is Precertification and Prior Authorization for Meth Treatment?
Precertification and prior authorization are two names for the same process. Prior authorization (or precertification) simply means that your insurance company requires proof that treatment is medically necessary for your pre-existing condition.
In this case, the treatment is meth rehab, and the pre-existing condition is stimulant use disorder.
Almost all insurance companies require prior authorization before they’ll provide meth rehab insurance coverage. Don’t worry, though—the process can be very simple. Most of the time, all you’ll need to do is:
- Call your family doctor to make an appointment
- Get a referral to a behavioral health specialist or addiction specialist
- Have your specialist or doctor certify your stimulant use disorder diagnosis and need for treatment
What Are Deductibles for Meth Treatment?
A deductible is the amount of money you must spend out-of-pocket before your meth rehab insurance coverage kicks in. After your deductible is met, your health insurance company will start covering meth treatment according to your policy.
It counts toward your deductible when you spend money on:
- Copays and coinsurance fees
- Out-of-pocket bills for office visits, procedures, and facility stays
Those fees can add up fast, so don’t be surprised if you meet your deductible early in the year. Also, not everyone has a deductible, so check with your health insurance company if you’re unsure.
What Are Copays for Meth Treatment?
Copays (or copayments) are flat-rate costs that you pay as part of your meth rehab insurance plan. Instead of paying the listed cost of treatment, you pay the amount that your insurance decides you’re responsible for covering, and the insurer pays for the rest.
For meth addiction-related office visits and outpatient care, it can be common for copays to be inexpensive, e.g. in the $5 to $20 range per appointment. The copay for an inpatient stay can be a little more unpredictable, ranging from $100 to $700 per day.
Although these are general ranges, meth addiction treatment insurance copays can fall outside of either extreme. Always check with your insurance company to find out your copay for meth rehab insurance coverage.
What Factors Into the Cost of Meth Addiction Treatment?
The cost of meth addiction is hard to predict because there are so many factors going into determining it! Treatment for meth addiction might cost nothing for one person and thousands of dollars for another. But why?
These are the factors that affect the cost of rehab for meth addiction:
Types of Rehab Addiction Center
Rehab centers have listed costs that they negotiate with the insurance companies. That means the meth rehab center itself has a big influence over your cost of treatment (unless you have a plan with 100% coverage).
Location of the Addiction Center
A rehab center’s location has a big impact on its cost. If you’re attending meth rehab somewhere that has a high cost of living, the rehab insurance cost may be higher to match. Likewise, rehab programs in places that aren’t densely populated tend to cost less.
Size of the Program
Big, sprawling rehabs with dozens of beds have a lower provider-to-patient ratio, so they might cost less because they’re more cost-efficient.
Small, cozy rehabs that offer individualized care are more effective, but they also cost more to operate, which translates to a higher cost to your insurance company.
Length of the Program
Program costs scale depending on how long the program lasts. For instance, a 60-day meth rehab program costs more than 30-day rehab programs.
In many cases, 90-day meth rehab isn’t covered unless you have lifetime reserve days on your insurance plan (but the first 60 days might be).
Meth Rehab Treatments Offered
The treatment plans and the therapies within those plans can have an impact on the cost. For instance, your insurance company probably won’t cover treatment that isn’t evidence-based, so you might pay full cost for those programs.
Medication-assisted treatment is not evidence-based for stimulants like meth, so insurance companies don’t cover these treatments.
Within meth rehab plans that are covered, your costs will vary depending on whether the program is detox, inpatient, or outpatient. Shorter, less intensive programs (e.g. outpatient)
Meth Detox
Meth detox is a program that supports you through meth withdrawal. You’ll receive round-the-clock monitoring, care, and symptom management to help reduce the risk of relapse.
How Long Does Meth Detox Take to Complete?
Meth detox programs typically last 3-5 days, a bit longer than the average length of meth withdrawal. These programs are quite a bit shorter than residential programs, so the cost tends to be lower.
Why Meth Detox Plays a Critical Role in Addiction Recovery
Meth detox is critical for reducing relapse risk. When you withdraw from meth (or any drug) alone, your risk of relapse within a year is 90%. Going to detox can reduce that risk by 40% to 60%.
Meth Inpatient Rehab
Meth inpatient rehab treatment offers intensive long-term care for addiction. The cost after your meth rehab insurance kicks in can vary, but programs are long and your inpatient rehab insurance typically determines the cost per day.
How Long Does Meth Inpatient Rehab Take to Complete?
The most effective length of inpatient rehab is 90 days or longer. You should attend any length of rehab that you can, but shoot for 90 days if you can.
Why Meth Inpatient Rehab Plays a Critical Role in Addiction Recovery
Meth inpatient rehab is critical in recovery because it teaches coping skills and prepares you to live with substance use disorder. The support systems that you develop in meth rehab can’t be found anywhere else.
Meth MAT Rehab
Insurance companies do not cover medication-assisted treatment for meth, so the cost of these programs is always out-of-pocket.
That’s because insurers require treatment to be tested and proven before they’ll cover it. There’s no evidence that MAT works for meth addiction.
Meth Outpatient Rehab
Meth outpatient rehab is the lowest-cost option for meth treatment. That’s because you pay for appointment copays, behavioral health sessions, lab work, and other outpatient rehab insurance costs instead of facility costs.
How Long Does Meth Outpatient Rehab Take to Complete?
The length of meth outpatient rehab varies depending on your needs. Some people attend outpatient for a few months, while others attend it for years or even indefinitely.
Why Meth Outpatient Rehab Plays a Critical Role in Addiction Recovery
Meth outpatient rehab is a critical source of treatment for people who need flexibility. If your work schedule and childcare responsibilities won’t let you attend inpatient, outpatient gives you the option to invest in your recovery.
Bedrock Addiction Rehab Amenities
Different treatment centers have their own amenities and perks to make the rehab experience welcoming and positive. At Bedrock Recovery Center, Bedrock Recovery Center, those amenities include:
- 5-star food service, including gluten-free and vegetarian options
- On-site laundry, salon, and movie theater
- Outdoor and indoor recreation, including a yoga studio, fitness center, and outdoor activities
- State-of-the-art facility remodel with double rooms, single rooms, and suites
What Types of Health Insurance Cover Rehab Treatments?
Nearly all health insurance plans cover treatment for meth addiction! The Affordable Care Act of 2010 says that every long-term health policy must cover medically necessary treatment for pre-existing conditions.
Evidence-based addiction treatment is a medically necessary treatment for a pre-existing condition. You may need your family doctor’s help to show the insurance company that this is true by completing a prior authorization.
The only exceptions include:
- Short-term healthcare policies, such as travel insurance, emergency insurance, or gap insurance
- Healthcare policies that were in effect before 2010 and have not changed in any meaningful way since then
Do Private Health Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
All private health insurance plans cover meth rehab in part or in full, as long as they aren’t short-term or pre-2010 policies. You’ll need to check with your insurer to find the specifics of your coverage.
PPO Insurance
PPO Health Insurance: Do PPO Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) insurance plans cover rehab that’s medically necessary, as long as it’s not a short-term or old plan.
With a PPO, you must choose an in-network provider to get the most coverage. You can choose out-of-network providers and still get meth rehab insurance coverage, but the cost will be higher if you do.
What is a PPO?
A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is a healthcare plan with a large, flexible network.
With a PPO, you don’t need to go to a family doctor before a mental health doctor to get a referral for meth treatment. You can go right to the specialist and make it faster to get your meth treatment covered.
HMO Insurance
HMO Health Insurance: Do HMO Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans cover rehab for meth treatment as long as you meet these criteria:
- The treatment center is in-network
- The treatment is medically necessary
- The treatment center accepts your insurance
What is an HMO?
An HMO is a Health Maintenance Organization, another type of insurance plan. HMOs are less flexible and have more rules limiting coverage, but they still cover meth rehab typically.
The biggest difference between HMOs and PPOs is that an HMO requires you to only use treatment providers within your network. That can make it harder to find a meth treatment program that works with your insurance policy.
POS Insurance
POS Health Insurance: Do POS Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Point of Service (POS) plans offer meth rehab insurance coverage as long as you have some form of stimulant use disorder, making treatment medically necessary. Your coverage could be partial or full.
What is a POS?
A Point of Service (POS) healthcare plan has parts of HMO and PPO plans. You can attend treatment out-of-network and still receive meth rehab insurance coverage, but you’ll need to get a referral from your primary care doctor.
Employer Group Insurance
Employer Group Health Insurance: Do Employer Group Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Employer group health insurance plans cover rehab in mostly all cases. These plans are all long-term, so the only exception is having a plan from before 2010, which would be exempt from the Affordable Care Act.
What is an Employer Group?
An employer group healthcare plan is a policy that you receive at a discount through your employer. Most healthcare policies in America that aren’t Medicare or Medicaid come from an employer group.
Federal and State Health Insurance
Do Federal and State Health Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Federal and state health insurance plans cover medically necessary rehab for meth addiction, including both Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicare Insurance
Do Medicare Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
All long-term Medicare plans offer meth rehab insurance coverage. That coverage is full after reaching your deductible and partial after 60 days.
What Are Medicare Insurance Plans?
Medicare is a health insurance program for Americans who are older than 65 or have certain pre-existing health conditions.
Medicaid Insurance
Do Medicaid Insurance Plans Cover Rehab?
Medicaid insurance plans cover medically necessary meth rehab in full after you hit your deductible for 60 days. After that, Medicaid offers partial meth rehab insurance coverage.
What Are Medicaid Insurance Plans?
Medicaid is a health insurance program that covers care for people who are:
- Low income earners
- Pregnant women, families, or children
- Emancipated teenagers
- Living with certain health conditions or disabilities
- Over age 65
What is the Average Cost of Meth Addiction Treatments With Insurance?
You can’t predict the average cost of meth addiction treatment because it can vary so significantly from one case to another. Your combination of chosen treatment center, program, location, insurance coverage, and your unique background are all your own.
The only exception is Medicare because they standardize their insurance policy coverage and publish it every year to the public.
What is the Average Cost of Meth Rehab With Insurance?
For PPO, HMO, POS, and employer group health insurance plans, the average cost of meth rehab is unpredictable. There are dozens of insurance providers and hundreds of policy combinations that decide your coverage.
The only way to find your cost of meth rehab with insurance is by contacting your insurance company or your meth addiction treatment center. Any average rehab cost after insurance that you find (besides Medicare) is very unlikely to be accurate.
How Long Does Insurance Cover Meth Rehab?
Most insurance companies cover meth rehab up to 60 days, either in part or in full. That includes many (but not all) PPO, HMO, POS, and employer group health insurance plans. It also includes Medicare and Medicaid.
You may have partial coverage until day 90, when your coverage usually expires. Your meth rehab insurance coverage can be extended past day 90 if you have lifetime reserve days.
Call your insurance company to find out your meth rehab insurance coverage, including how long and what’s covered.
What Rehab Treatments Are Covered by Insurance?
Insurance companies offer coverage for meth rehab treatments that are evidence-based and scientifically proven.
Those include treatment programs such as:
- Meth Detox Programs
- Meth Inpatient Residential Programs
- Meth Outpatient Programs
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs are not covered for stimulant use disorder, including meth. That’s because MAT is not evidence-based or scientifically proven for stimulant addiction.
This applies to healthcare plans that are employer groups, PPO, HMO, or POS, plus Medicare and Medicaid.
What is the Average Cost of Meth Rehab With Medicare Insurance?
If you have Medicare, the published 2021 inpatient rehab cost can be $1,408 for the deductible, which covers the first 60 days. If you already met your deductible this year, then you have no additional cost to pay.
After that, you can pay $352 per day after 60 days and $704 per day after 90 days.
Always double-check your meth rehab insurance costs, since they can change without warning. Call your local Medicare office to find out the specifics of your plan and costs.
How Long Does Medicare Insurance Cover Meth Rehab?
Medicare insurance covers meth rehab for 60 days with full coverage, which means you only pay the deductible. After that, your coverage is reduced from days 61-90.
On day 91, you can still have coverage if you have lifetime reserve days on your plan. Otherwise, you’ll lose coverage on day 91. You’ll have to check with your Medicare office to find out whether you can use lifetime reserve days toward meth rehab insurance coverage.
As always, check with Medicare to make sure that you have the most recent information about meth rehab insurance coverage.
What Rehab Treatments Are Covered by Medicare Insurance?
Medicare insurance covers evidence-based treatment for stimulant use disorder. The treatment types that are covered include:
- Detox programs
- Psychotherapy treatment including cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing
- Personal and group counseling to help gain and practice coping skills and perspective for recovery
- Group treatment sessions including 12 Steps
These may be covered in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Medication-assisted treatment is not covered by Medicare for meth treatment.
What if You Don’t Have Insurance That Covers Meth Rehab?
If you don’t have meth rehab insurance coverage, don’t give up on recovery. Instead, look at alternate ways to get insurance coverage (or cover your treatment in other ways).
Talk To Your Employer
If you don’t have employer group insurance, speak with your employer to find out how you can qualify and enroll.
Your employer may also have company resources for addiction and recovery support. In most cases, your direct supervisor or HR rep can direct you to these recovery resources.
Talk To the Addiction Rehab Center
Many drug rehab treatment centers have admissions or scholarship programs for people who need treatment for meth addiction, but don’t have insurance coverage. Some treatment centers also offer discounts for paying in cash (rather than with insurance).
Talk to Friends and Family About Your Struggle With Addiction
Your social circle is the most important tool you have in recovery. Be open with the people you trust in your life about what’s happening with your physical and mental health.
You may be surprised at the resources you can find when there’s an army of loved ones crowdsourcing how to pay for substance abuse treatment!
The True Cost of Meth Rehab vs. the Cost of Meth Addiction
The sticker cost of meth rehab can be startling, especially before you calculate your insurance coverage! But don’t let the cost of meth rehab affect your recovery from a lifelong disorder.
The costs of untreated substance use disorder are far greater, and not just in terms of financial costs. Going to rehab helps you avoid the long-term consequences of meth addiction, which can cost you in every part of your life.
What is the True Cost of Meth Abuse?
Meth abuse costs go far beyond the costs of the drug itself, which is already costly over a lifetime. The true cost of meth abuse includes lifelong effects like:
- Social problems from withdrawing from relationships and behaving differently
- Health problems from the harsh physical effects of stimulants
- Financial problems from missed shifts and lost jobs
- Legal problems from possessing meth or breaking the law under its influence
What is the True Cost of Loss of Income Due to Going to Rehab for Meth Treatment?
You don’t have to lose income to attend rehab for meth addiction. If you have insurance, it almost definitely covers outpatient treatment.
These flexible meth treatment programs are the most affordable treatment option, since you’re only paying for copays, lab work, and behavioral treatment, not a bed in a residence.
They’re also designed to allow people who work to attend treatment without missing their responsibilities.
You might attend outpatient treatment anywhere from 1 to 7 days per week. The sessions can be all-day or just a few hours. This flexible schedule makes it possible to work on your off-days from treatment or before or after outpatient sessions.
That means not missing any income and not missing out on treatment either!
What is the True Cost of Health Problems From Meth Addiction?
Meth addiction causes lifelong health problems when you don’t treat it. Those effects can include:
- Heart disease, including chest pain, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, and even heart attack or stroke
- Tooth decay, also known as “meth mouth,” which can lead to needing most teeth extracted
- Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder that can cause tremor, stiff muscles, slow movement, trouble speaking, trouble showing emotion on your face, and trouble walking
The lifetime personal cost of surviving a heart attack can be over $1 million.
Living with Parkinson’s Disease can cost you $2,500 a year on medications and $100,000 for procedures like deep brain stimulation.
Having a decayed tooth extracted can cost between $75 and $200 per tooth, and root canal procedures can run $300 to $2000.
You can’t afford the chronic health problems that come with meth addiction. Not only are these conditions financially expensive, but they can shave years and quality off your life.
Check Your Meth Rehab Insurance With Bedrock Recovery Center
You can minimize the personal costs of meth addiction by getting treatment as soon as possible, which means checking your meth rehab insurance coverage immediately. The sooner you know your coverage details, the sooner you can get into an accredited meth rehab program and start taking your life back.
The admissions team at Bedrock Recovery Center can verify your meth rehab insurance coverage and let you know what’s covered.
Our Canton, MA drug and alcohol treatment center offers trauma-informed, gender-based, dual diagnosis treatment in a tranquil setting 15 minutes from metropolitan Boston. Give us a call at (877) 264-0976 or fill out our contact form and let your recovery begin today!
Sources
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) – HealthCare.gov Glossary
- How Prior Authorization Works
- Definition of Different Health Insurance Deductibles
- Copayment – HealthCare.gov Glossary
- Medicare Part A,B, C, D Costs and Coverage Explained
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) – HealthCare.gov Glossary
- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plans
- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) – HealthCare.gov Glossary
