The first questions many people ask is if intervention is covered by insurance. The answer is no. Despite what most people believe about interventions, they are mostly geared towards helping the family of the addict. So, the insurance companies have determined that since this is primarily a service for the family members, it is not covered.
Comparing Intervention Costs
A professional intervention can range anywhere from $1,500-10,000 or more, depending on the interventionist or company. The extremes of this price range are less common. An average intervention is likely to cost around $3,000 – 5,000. Typically, the families are paying for a trained interventionist to come to them, meet with the family, meet with the addict and the family and oftentimes set up treatment. This is an important component to the intervention company’s role. Most intervention companies help families choose the right treatment center for their loved one because this is the first step in any intervention. Once the addict says yes, there can be no delays in getting them checked into a facility. So, many companies will work with the families to help find a facility and even make recommendations based on the addict and their history.
Interventions May Include Travel Expenses
An important thing to note, the price quoted for an intervention often does not include travel. The larger intervention companies operate throughout the entire country. This means that you may choose to use a company that sends an interventionist to you. As part of this contract, families are required to pay the interventionist’s travel to the intervention, the interventionists travel to the treatment center with the addict and the interventionist’s travel home. These additional costs typically add another $750 – 1,000 on to the bill.
Individual Interventionists vs. Larger Companies
So, if it so much more expensive to hire an interventionist from a national company, why do people do it? Bigger companies can oftentimes offer what smaller companies cannot. For instance, bigger companies are more likely to have a variety of interventionists. This means that if the addict responds better to males rather than females, the appropriate interventionist will be sent out on the job. This can be especially important for female addicts who have had trauma in their lives and would react much better to having another female help them into treatment. Additionally, national companies are also more likely to work with a variety of treatment centers and will have a better idea of what the addict should expect at these treatment centers. Oftentimes during an intervention, the addict will begin to ask questions about the facility. An experienced interventionist will have the answer to these questions, or be able to contact someone directly at the facility.
The benefit of hiring a smaller company is oftentimes their lower price. These companies tend to cost less. Additionally, some people have been referred to smaller companies by someone who has gone through a similar situation. Talking with someone who has had to hire an intervention company can help soothe the fears and worries that are inherent when dealing with substance abuse and getting someone into treatment. Many companies will offer references if requested.
It is important to note that the comfort level of the family is most important and should be for any intervention company. They should be willing to answer any and all questions, provide suggestions, referrals, and feedback when necessary. They should understand that every situation is unique and what has worked in other cases, may not work all the time and they should be prepared with more than one solution to potential problems.
