Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, insurance policies in its compliance cover mental healthcare, as well as physical healthcare. As addiction is a mental illness, Medicare covers an array of treatment options such as inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, regular outpatient treatment, medications, intervention, prevention and partial hospitalization or day addiction treatment.
Medicare patients have access to these services at any facility that accepts Medicare for payment; if it is medically necessary and reasonable and the facility has been certified by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association points out exceptions to their policies in regards to individual addiction treatment programs saying, “Medicare does not generally cover prescription medications that are prescribed or dispensed to patients on an outpatient basis. However, if buprenorphine is administered by a Medicare-certified program or facility as a component of inpatient or emergency treatment such as detoxification or early stabilization treatment, the cost could be covered, as with any other medication used in the treatment process.”
Discuss possible variations with the Medicare-certified facility that best suits your treatment needs. Medicare substance abuse facilities provide high-quality care within the parameters of your policy coverage, giving Medicare patients of all ages and abilities the opportunity to overcome addiction.
