In many ways, rehabs are more accessible than ever for a lot of people, so the thought of paying for help doesn’t sound as daunting of a task as it once was. Sometimes it may take a little extra research, or asking for referrals, and other times it may require taking an honest look at what the relative costs may be. For example, when compared with other forms of healthcare, alcohol and drug rehab programs can be significantly less expensive.

Paying for Rehab with Insurance

Thanks to mandates in insurance plan coverage laws a few years ago, many more people have been able to access programs using their benefits. At the same time, the insurance industry has pushed back to force higher premiums, deductibles and out of pocket maximums, as well as reduced the number of covered days and allowable amounts for different levels of care. Some of that push-back has been met with legal penalties, and so the pendulum will begin to swing back toward the middle.

Although everyone’s policy will have different levels of coverage and vary from state to state and even sometimes center to center, using insurance to pay for treatment is a huge help.

Finding Affordable Rehabs

Whether you have insurance or not, there are also usually some out of pocket costs involved, and sometimes the entire bill is your responsibility. So how can it be more affordable? Well, on the least expensive end there are some publicly-funded programs as well as rehabs supported by faith communities that may be free. There are also many more that will operate on a sliding fee scale and work with you on payment plans. Additionally, instead of potentially having to pay several tens of thousands of dollars to go away to a residential program, you may be a good fit for a local outpatient rehab center with additional support and can attend the program for many months. This helps to not only reduce the monthly cost, but the overall investment will also be a fraction of inpatient treatment over the same time period, making it much more affordable for most people.