How to Pay for Rehab: 3 Options

Rehab is a valuable tool for healing the wounds behind addiction. Detox support, therapy, and 24/7 care in a treatment center can make the difference between a temporary recovery and a permanent one. But if you’ve ever looked into the cost of a drug rehab center, you might have been scared off.

If you’ve been in dire financial straits for a while, those numbers might seem unreachably high. Fortunately, there are a few ways to make holistic rehab more affordable.

Below, we’ll walk through the factors that affect the cost of rehab and then show you three ways you can pay for your alcohol or drug abuse treatment services. Read on to learn how to pay for rehab and why addiction recovery doesn’t have to be out of reach.

How Much Does Rehab Cost?

There’s no single correct answer to the question “how much does rehab cost?”. Rehab prices are affected by the type of treatment facility, the type of treatment, the kind of amenities available, and even your location. Let’s examine the most common types of substance use treatment services to establish a better sense of their average costs.

Types Of Addiction Treatment And Costs

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics provides average costs for each type of addiction treatment. Here’s a breakdown:

• Methadone treatment – A treatment for patients with opioid addictions that is administered by professionals to help with withdrawal symptoms
  • Average cost – $12,183

• Detox – A short-term treatment that allows patients to safely detox from addictive substances
  • Average cost – $3,675

• Outpatient treatment program – Designed for patients whose addiction hasn’t completely taken over their lives. An addiction outpatient treatment program provides daily or weekly services while patients otherwise go about their usual activities
  • Average cost – $4,939

• Inpatient rehab program – Completely removing patients from outside factors and providing around-the-clock support while they live at the facility. An inpatient rehab program typically lasts about a month (long-term services may be called “residential” treatment)
  • Average cost – $12,500

Ways to Pay for Rehab

Those numbers might seem frightening, but fortunately, there are ways to receive rehab treatment at decreased rates or with payment plans that make the cost more manageable.

#1 Insurance

Insurance is a substantial boon for many who seek to enter rehab. However, navigating a potential insurance plan can be pretty confusing. The first thing to know is that all private insurance companies are required to provide insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment, but the amount and types of treatment covered vary from plan to plan.

Let’s unpack the three main ways to procure a health insurance plan.

Public Insurance

Public insurance is government-funded insurance coverage patients don’t have to pay for. They might qualify for it if their income is considered low or if they’re disabled, elderly, or have dependents. Individuals can apply for coverage through their state’s healthcare portal.

However, not all rehab facilities accept public insurance, and those that do often have long wait lists and limited resources. 

Group Insurance

Group insurance is usually provided by an employer. Individuals may have the ability to choose their plan, but most include substance abuse treatment. In California, it’s required.

However, individuals must remember that their benefits don’t always begin immediately—they may have to work under that employer for up to 90 days before gaining eligibility to use this type of insurance.

Private Insurance

Private insurance offers the greatest amount of control over plan coverage. It allows individuals to choose their insurance company, provider, and plan, but covered individuals must pay for it out of pocket.

While the least expensive options may seem appealing, they might not cover the care patients seek. Remember that healthcare facilities choose whether or not to accept certain insurance providers.

And usually, individuals can only apply for private health insurance during open enrollment periods. If patients seek coverage (or better coverage), they’ll need to determine when enrollment becomes available or use the Marketplace portal at healthcare.gov to shop around.⁴

#2 Grants, Grant-Funded Facilities, and Scholarships

Grants offer funding through public, charitable, and other entities to individuals and organizations that help decrease the costs of treatment. Similarly, nonprofits and facilities may offer scholarship opportunities that waive some rehab costs based on financial need. When individuals contact a facility to ask about their programs, they should be sure to ask whether these types of assistance are available.

Note that qualifying for grants, scholarships, and other financial help will likely require the individual to demonstrate their need.

Additionally, aside from individual funding opportunities, facilities may be recipients of funding that can help them lower rehab treatment costs for patients.

Financing

Another option is to finance your treatment through a lender. Some facilities offer in-house loans or payment plans, or you can seek out a loan from elsewhere. But before you track down a lender, you should ask your preferred treatment center if they have any recommendations or partners with whom they typically work to admit new patients.

Lastly, you could take out a personal loan via credit card or from a bank. Be aware that you might need a loved one to cosign your loan, especially if your credit score is low.

Taking on debt might seem stressful, but if you are truly ready to recover, this treatment could help you get a completely new lease on life.

Elevate Your Life

At Elevate, we believe that successful addiction treatment lies in empowerment. We want to empower our patients to create a meaningful life for themselves—one that doesn’t involve substance addiction. We know addiction rarely travels alone, and we want to help those suffering heal the underlying struggles that drive it. 

Elevate believes every addict deserves a second chance. Our California detox centers accept many different insurance providers and can connect patients with financial assistance. 

Recovery doesn’t have to wait. Contact Elevate today.

Sources: 

1. California Department of Insurance. Health Insurance Guide. http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/05-health/health-ins-guide.cfm
2. Healthcare.gov. How to apply & enroll. https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/how-to-apply/
3. Healthcare.gov. Mental health & substance abuse coverage. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/mental-health-substance-abuse-coverage/
4. National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. Average Cost of Drug Rehab. https://drugabusestatistics.org/cost-of-rehab/