Holding Your Health Insurance Accountable for Your Drug Rehab Costs
Don’t let your insurance off of paying for your drug rehab.
Thousands of people suffer from addiction to drugs or alcohol and need help to stop using. Many of these same people have health insurance but are still unable to afford the cost of drug rehab or are unsure of what they have to do to get their insurance plan to cover the costs of drug rehab. Many states have laws in place that require insurance plans to cover addiction treatment so if you have health insurance there’s a good chance that your drug rehab costs should be covered. Here’s a look at what you can do to hold your health insurance plan accountable for the costs you incur in drug rehab.
Check for Coverage
If you have an employee healthcare plan or if you have your own private health insurance, it’s important that you know what type of coverage you have. Begin by checking the benefit handbook that you received when you first enrolled into your health insurance plan. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, consider calling the health plan provider to ask them about the coverage. If you are covered under an employee plan, consider asking your employer for help. If this doesn’t work and you are not provided with the coverage that you need, you can override the decision of the health care plan.
Ask for State Assistance
If you are not already covered by state insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You can also ask for assistance from a state health department or state insurance department to get the help you need to pay for the cost of drug rehab. If you are covered by insurance but the insurance is not providing payment for the drug rehab and you know that the state law requires such coverage, talk with the Office of the Attorney General about the problems you are having so that they can help you by enforcing the law.
Ask for Legislation to Intervene
The state and local legislation is on your side so when it comes to advocating for your own drug rehab and for insurance to pay the costs of your treatment, ask for legislation intervention. It’s the legislators who appropriate funding to state and local offices that enforce the various laws which are already in place to require insurance companies to cover the cost of addiction treatment. If you are having trouble getting your drug rehab costs covered by your health insurance, consider asking for legislation intervention.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help
If you are having trouble getting your health insurance to pay for treatment, ask if the rehab center where you are seeking help will accommodate your while you fight your health insurance plan. Sometimes rehab centers will provide you with treatment on a sliding fee scale or on a contracted basis with your commitment to provide insurance coverage or payment within a specified period of time. This will allow you some time to work on getting your health plan to pay for the treatment. Additionally, if your rehab center knows that you are trying to get your health plan to cover the cost of treatment, they may help you along the way.
Keep Documentation of Everything
While you are trying to work things out with your health insurance make sure you keep a complete documentation of everything that you discuss with the company and with any other pertinent people during the process. Document your interactions with the insurance company and keep any material or correspondence that is sent to you via email or direct mail. Take notes and document dates and times so that you have them should the future need occur.
