The Cost of Rehab
Everyone who needs to go to rehab will ask themselves this question sooner or later; how much does drug rehab cost if you don’t have insurance? There are several aspects of addiction that can hinder someone from seeking recovery, but a common justification is often the high cost of rehab.
Aspects Affecting the Cost of Rehab
The average cost of substance abuse to the US stands at over $600 billion each year; effective addiction treatment lessens these costs. Over 14,500 drug and alcohol addiction rehab treatment centers in the US offer intervention, counseling, and medication treatment services. Yet, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration state that only 10% of the 22.7 million individuals suffering from a substance use disorder receive treatment for their drug addiction. Fears about the cost of rehab often hinders individuals from seeking the treatment they need.
The cost of drug rehab if you don’t have insurance (or if you do) varies from one facility to the next. Some government-funded rehabs may offer drug and alcohol treatment services for free, while luxury rehabs, which are famous among celebrities, can cost as much as $80,000. Treatment program fees will vary depending on:
- Type of facility inpatient or outpatient rehab
- Location
- Number of patients in the program
- Treatment programs (i.e., detox, medication-assisted therapy, counseling)
- Amenities (i.e., sports facilities, massage, horseback riding)
- Length of treatment (i.e., 30 – 90 days, one year)
Even prior to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, addiction treatment was still an essential health benefit that must be covered by as many insurance plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace as possible. Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare (military health insurance), private insurance, and paying out-of-pocket are all options for paying for rehab. It’s important to know what your insurance covers and what you can afford when researching types of facilities and treatment programs.
What Is the Cost of Rehab?
Addiction is a complex, chronic, neurobiological disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors that vary from person to person. Thus, a wide range of treatment modalities will depend on the length and severity of an individual’s addiction, what they can afford, and where they prefer to enter treatment. All rehab programs offer some essential services; additional therapies and amenities generally increase the overall cost of drug rehab if you don’t have insurance.
Treatment modalities (as well as the determined level of care for each patient), and therefore the cost of rehab, vary depending on numerous factors:
- Severity of use
- Length of time using
- Method of administration
- Which substance(s) are used
- Whether the client is in acute withdrawal
- Readiness for change
- Mental health
- Physical health or ailments
- Environmental factors,
- Medications taken by client
- History of relapse/Previous treatment episodes
- And many more
Additionally, it is essential to note that insurance requires a thorough biopsychosocial assessment (or evaluation) to be conducted for each client to determine a diagnosis, appropriate level of care, specific needs of the client, as well as to utilize when developing individualized treatment plans for clients.
