Covering the Cost of Drug Addiction Treatment

The cost of drug addiction is spread throughout society. If it's not out-of pocket expenses by family members for drug rehabilitation, then it is the taxpayers' burden when drug-using criminal offenders are placed in the correctional system or government-funded treatment programs.

Untreated drug addiction bears innumerable costs to each community, including the loss of life. Effective residential treatment has proven to save money and lives in the long run, and costs can range from a few thousand to many tens of thousands of dollars.

For the families of the 22 million Americans in need of treatment insurance could help absorb much of that cost, however, there has been a controversy over insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment and as of now the dollar amounts and limitations vary with each carrier and policy.

Equal insurance coverage for substance abuse, or parity as it is commonly known, can be a double-edged sword. On one hand for those who have insurance it can be a blessing if the devastating situation ever arises. On the other hand, it opens the door for ineffective treatment programs to repeatedly get paid for no results.

The issue has gone to the Legislature, but has yet to significantly change and both sides have continued their lobbying efforts. The latest form of parity legislation is called the "Help Expand Access to Recovery and Treatment (HEART) Act.'

Perhaps the main problem with the issue is that advocates are trying to classify addiction as a disease, saying that relapse is inherent in such a condition. For several decades now alcohol and drug addiction has been viewed and treated as a brain disease by the medical and psychiatric communities where they have resorted to substitute drugs that only treat symptoms and don't actually solve the problem.

Addiction does have both behavioral and biophysical components that need to be addressed, though substituting natural brain chemicals with more drugs such as harmful antidepressants is not a solution. In fact, it can be and often is much more damaging to a person when trying to achieve stable, long-term results. Claiming that a person is sober while being on mind-altering drugs is a direct contradiction by definition.

Last year a panel of experts in the substance abuse field, including the nation's first appointed ‘drug czar' Dr. Jerome Jaffe, issued a report called "Rewarding Results.' The panel stated that governments, agencies and policymakers should demand results and only pay for services that obtained results. Such a recommendation, if implemented, would force programs and agencies to be more responsible for the overall rehabilitation of the persons served.

One program that has steadily maintained a very high success rate for helping individuals overcome addiction is Narconon Arrowhead. Based on research and developments by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, the program uses a drug-free social rehabilitation methodology comprised of an extensive sauna detoxification protocol and a series of life skills courses that addicts learn to apply to their lives and overcome the barriers to living a clean and happy life.

Though there are many factors leading and contributing to an individual's addiction, it does not have to be made so complex that nobody can understand it. There are simple solutions available. When it comes down to it, insurance companies should provide more coverage for substance abuse treatment, but only if it actually works.

For more information about Narconon Arrowhead or to get help for a loved on in need call 1-800-468-6933 today or visit www.stopaddiction.com.


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