How to Find Addiction Treatment if You Don’t Have Health Insurance

When you’re struggling to overcome addiction, you need to get the best possible treatment to meet your needs. Unfortunately, too many who desperately want and need addiction treatment fail to get it. One reason – often a primary one – is that they lack health insurance. If you sincerely want to start on the road to recovery, be comforted that you can find a way to receive affordable addiction treatment, even if you don’t have health insurance.

DIVE INTO RESEARCH TO EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS

Without insurance, you may think you have no options. While it’s understandable that you’d feel that way, it isn’t accurate. Most of the accredited addiction treatment centers will work with you to help you find affordable options to get professional treatment. Not everyone has health insurance, or if they do, it may not cover everything involved in a stay at a residential treatment center. In addition to residential rehab, there are also treatment centers that provide outpatient treatment.

Still, the prospect of finding affordable addiction treatment may seem overwhelming if you just start with a Google or Bing search. It’s best to narrow your search guidelines to the best addiction treatment facilities that provide treatment for your addiction. In other words, if you have a substance abuse problem with alcohol or prescription drugs, look for treatment facilities that specialize in drug and alcohol rehab. If you have a dual-addiction, that is, a substance use disorder (SUD) and a co-occurring mental health disorder (such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder), you need to search for an addiction treatment center that has expertise in treating dual diagnoses.

The next logical step, once you have a brief list of a few potential treatment providers, is to get in touch with each of them to learn more about their programs, including costs. Start with a thorough review of their websites. Pay special attention to how they operate, whether the facility has medically-supervised detoxification services on-site, the kind of care you’d receive, what costs are involved for treatment, what kind of treatment options and therapies are offered, and any help available with financing or non-insurance options.             

WHAT’S INVOLVED IN TREATMENT COSTS?

As you begin your investigation and search of addiction treatment centers, it’s wise to take a closer look at what’s involved in treatment costs. Residential treatment costs more than outpatient treatment. Luxury addiction treatment costs much more, and facilities that are in resort areas or high-cost cities and states, as well as those offering long lists of treatment modalities, recreational activities, personal chefs and luxury amenities also tend to be among the highest-priced facilities for addiction treatment. In addition to location and amenities, chronic alcoholism or drug abuse require longer-term residential treatment which, depending on the facility selected, can substantially increase total treatment costs.

FINDING AFFORDABLE TREATMENT OPTIONS

Every addiction treatment center has a goal of helping the addict get clean and sober, to be able to abstain from drug and alcohol use, to function normally again in society, and to be able to remain sober in recovery. Ideally, of course, no facility would ever turn away someone who wants treatment, yet the reality is that not all addiction treatment centers will be able to accommodate those who cannot pay. You still may be able to get help finding affordable treatment in one of several ways:

• Sliding-pay scale: Some addiction treatment providers offer clients the ability to pay for treatment according to a sliding pay scale, based on their income.
• Flexible self-payment plans: Other facilities for addiction treatment offer clients flexible self-payment plans, so they’re able to pay for the treatment they need over a longer period.
• Numerous financing options: For those seeking addiction treatment that has no insurance, many treatment facilities will accept payment via various methods: by credit card, personal loans, home equity loans or lines of credit, health care credit cards, and specialized loan services.
• Referral to another treatment center: If the addiction treatment center you prefer is unable to help you obtain treatment there, due to financial constraints or other reasons related to your not having health insurance, they may be able to refer you to another treatment center or treatment options that can help.

Another avenue to consider is federal, state, county, and local assistance. Check with each of these entities: federal, state department of health, county or local organizations to see if you may be able to qualify for assistance with treatment programs, or can enter treatment at one of their rehab facilities. Note that there may be an applicable residency, citizenship or income limits before treatment can be authorized.

Although not treatment, while you’re searching for addiction treatment facilities you can afford, also consider the benefits of participating in various 12-Step groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and several others.

CONSIDER THE LONG-TERM COSTS OF NOT GETTING TREATMENT

There are some important points to consider in the long-term costs of not getting treatment, however. These include:

• Further deterioration of relationships, most specifically with loved ones and family.
• Downward spiral caused by increasingly negative consequences from substance abuse, including loss of job or home, legal ramifications, jail time, bankruptcy and more.
• Loss of self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect.
• Increase in self-hatred, anger, and self-destructive tendencies.
• Increased risk-taking that jeopardizes others as well as yourself.
• Neurological problems, including an inability to think clearly, make wise decisions or follow through on commitments, and memory difficulties.
• Damage to physical and mental health from continued substance abuse. Alcohol, for example, has myriad effects on the body that range from mild to extremely severe and sometimes fatal.
• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, depression, anxiety and despair.
• Thoughts of suicide as the only way out.
• Overdose and death.

While the prospect of finding addiction treatment if you don’t have health insurance can seem formidable, keep looking until you do find the help you need. When you have the firm resolve to overcome addiction or are persuaded that treatment is your best hope to resume a normal life, you will eventually discover resources and allies that can facilitate that decision. Remember, there is no shame in asking for help or in getting treatment for addiction. In fact, it’s the wisest approach to take to get you on the path to recovery.

If you have questions about paying for rehab treatment for you or a loved one, please call one of our admission counselors, today!