Answer: Elevance Health covers a variety of addiction treatment services, depending on the specific plan and the individual’s needs and level of care required by their treatment plan.
Medical Detox
Elevance covers medical detox, as long as it is deemed medically necessary. Because withdrawal can be fatal in some instances, it is usually not difficult for people to obtain this designation.
Medical detox is a very important step in the treatment process, and is especially important for people with life-threatening withdrawal symptoms from a substance such as alcohol.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Many of the BCBS plans available from Elevance Health cover MAT, and members are encouraged, along with their physicians, to combine this treatment with behavioral therapy.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a type of treatment that is most often used for opioid use disorders. This type of treatment involves opioid replacement drugs to help ease people off their opioid use at a safe and comfortable pace.
Inpatient Rehab
Inpatient drug rehab is often covered by Elevance, although it will depend on a person’s length of stay and various other factors.
Inpatient treatment is known to be one of the most effective forms of substance use treatment, and with one of the highest success rates.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Dual diagnosis treatment is often covered by plans with Elevance, as it is considered a type of mental health treatment.
Many of the people who live with a substance use disorder also have co-occurring disorders in the form of mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.
Dual diagnosis care is targeted toward people with a co-occuring mental illness or behavioral health disorder and who could benefit from addressing this condition along with substance use.
Outpatient Treatment Programs
It is common to find outpatient addiction treatment covered by plans through Elevance, though members may still have copays or coinsurance to pay.
Many of the addiction treatment options that are available can be accessed in an outpatient rehab setting, which can be more convenient for people who cannot take time away from family or work.
It is also possible to find intensive outpatient programs (IOP) and partial hospitalization programs (PHP) for people who need a more intensive form of outpatient treatment.
Counseling & Behavioral Therapy
Counseling and therapy are integral components of any substance abuse program, and can include individual, group, family, and couples therapy.
This type of treatment is almost guaranteed to be covered by Elevance, although members will need to seek in-network providers, and may still have small copays.
Members may also be limited in the number of therapy sessions they are allowed within a given time period.
Continuing Care
It is rare for continuing care to be covered by insurance, as this is not a service that is considered medically necessary. It is also not categorized by the Affordable Care Act as an official addiction treatment program.
However, it depends on the type of continuing care, as sober living homes are usually not covered, but peer support groups or group therapy may be.