How To Get Non Profit Drug Rehabilitation Treatment If You Lack Health Insurance

Recovery on a Budget

Making a decision to pursue addiction treatment can be difficult enough on its own, but even more so when it feels unaffordable. For those who have dealt with external obstacles and their own levels of internal resistance just to get to this point, the cost of addiction treatment can present yet another barrier to recovery. Finding proper treatment can require diligent work, persistence and the ability to handle rejection, all when a person suffering from addiction may not feel much capacity to handle any of those things. Even if a person with an addiction can afford treatment, it can be difficult to select the proper fit; options are numerous and deciding on one can feel overwhelming.

This article will offer hope to that person. It will aim to help those suffering from an addiction with finding non-profit drug rehabilitation treatment when financial resources are scarce or nonexistent, as well as how to make appropriate choices about how they proceed with treatment.

Drug rehabilitation treatment falls into three broad financial categories: non-profit, government-funded and private. Treatment centers in all three categories can provide inpatient care, partial hospitalization services, outpatient services or peer-to-peer support.

Obtaining Non-Profit Treatment

Non-profit treatment programs are designed and administered by community agencies and institutions. They are funded by private donations and sometimes by foundational grants. Community agencies offering non-profit treatment programs include, but aren’t limited to, churches and other faith-based organizations. This also includes 12-step-based programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. These programs are typically free or low-cost.

The most well-known and widely available free drug rehabilitation programs are those of the Salvation Army. A non-profit, faith-based organization with 7,000 community centers and nearly 300 national drug and alcohol treatment centers, the Salvation Army offers all levels of care, from inpatient to peer support, in its treatment programs. Participants in these programs offset the cost of their treatment by taking part in charitable, individual and community projects. Such participation is monitored and is considered a vital component of a person’s recovery efforts and ability to establish discipline, accountability and healthy routines, as well as crucial vocational skills. Program participation is required for six months, and food, housing, clothing and educational resources are provided.

Similar programs exist throughout the country. Some charge a fee but waive such fees if a person with an addiction is unable to pay for treatment. Here is a sampling of such programs:

• Recovery Advocates of America—non-profit, funded by private donations; services provided include interventions, treatment placement, recovery coaching and family support

Phone toll free: (888) 360-7788

www.recovery-advocates.org

• Dunklin Memorial Church, Inc.—10-month program that costs $4,000 but “no one will be denied admittance due to lack of funds;” men only; counseling, Bible study, work training

Phone: (772) 597-2841

www.dunklin.org

• Boise Rescue Mission/New Life program—non-profit, free for participants; a

Bible-based program to help clients beat addiction; program runs 12-24 months

Phone: (208) 461-5030

www.teenchallengeusa.com

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Utilizing Government-Funded Treatment

Government-funded treatment is paid for by money distributed by a state or a county to an agency. Often, those agencies handle other state services besides drug and alcohol treatment, such as child social services or re-entry from incarceration. Resources for this type of treatment are limited by a state’s budget and by the need to distribute these resources to a large number of people, and thus there are sometimes waiting lists for these types of programs. These programs are also typically free or low-cost.

There are several national service locator websites for nonprofit treatment:

The United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, has several resources for locating treatment.

• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)—free, confidential information in multiple languages about treatment availability
• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator—a database of more than 11,000 licensed or accredited addiction treatment programs, including inpatient, residential and outpatient services. The site offers the ability to filter preferences by payment method, language spoken, inpatient or outpatient treatment, and more.
• SAMHSA Opioid Treatment Program Directory—a listing of all opioid treatment programs, including federally licensed ones, which prescribe methadone and buprenorphine

Similarly, the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) has a Treatment Navigator portal. Like the SAMHSA site, it has a searchable database by ZIP code and includes a large number of treatment programs, though specifically for alcohol use disorder.

Accessing Private Treatment

Private treatment almost always requires insurance, financing treatment or an ability to pay out-of-pocket. Treatment usually takes place in a private facility or home, and can include a large number of staff, administration and auxiliary services. For those without insurance from an employer or the ability to pay for treatment independently, there are options to obtain insurance through the Affordable Care Act.  Under that act, which is popularly known as Obamacare, the state of Florida has a health insurance exchange, or marketplace, for low-cost health insurance plans that begin at less than $40 per month. By law, these plans must cover substance use disorder treatment as well as behavioral health treatment as an out-of-network benefit at minimum. Most other states have similar exchanges. This website details which insurances cover which substance use disorder treatment benefits.

It is important that a person with an addiction choose treatments that are evidence-based. This is best achieved, when possible, by finding treatment centers that are licensed or accredited by state or national organizations. Procedures and approaches should always include those understood by experts as meeting the basic standard of care for addiction treatment.

Regardless of financial means, recovery is possible for everyone, and no one deserves to go without treatment because of inability to pay. Transformations Treatment Center will work with those suffering from addiction and point them in the direction of successful and sustained recovery.