Medicaid is a government program that provides health insurance to disabled, elderly and low-income individuals across the country. The Affordable Care Act includes a requirement for all health insurance policies to include addiction and other mental health treatments in their coverage. These treatments and services consist of comprehensive health evaluations, drug and alcohol testing, intervention services, inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment, regular outpatient treatment, family therapy and medication.
Medicaid substance abuse facilities must also adhere to these requirements, as well as ensure that uniformity protections are in place within their facility operations. Explained by healthcare.gov, “This generally means limits applied to mental health and substance abuse services can’t be more restrictive than limits applied to medical and surgical services. The limits covered by parity protections include:
Financial – like deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket limits
Treatment – like limits to the number of days or visits covered
Care management – like being required to get authorization of treatment before getting it”
Many drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities accept Medicaid insurance policies, but not all. Before committing to the right substance abuse treatment facility for your needs, be sure to verify that they accept Medicaid coverage. For your convenience, have your Medicaid identification number on hand to also confirm that your policy is active, as well.
