Average price of addiction treatment

Addiction treatment is often necessary for successfully beating a drug or alcohol addiction. What’s the average price of treatment? While it can be a little difficult determining how much you’ll pay for addiction treatment, average price starts at $100 per day and goes up to $700 or more. Read here for facts of the price of addiction treatment and ask your questions at the end.

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Many people diagnosed with addiction may avoid treatment altogether because they think they can’t afford it. While the average price of addiction treatment may seem quite high, this doesn’t always mean that you won’t be able to afford it. In fact, your out-of-pocket costs will most likely be much lower than you think.

Read on here for more on the price of addiction treatment and how you can minimize it.  Then, send us your questions about addiction treatment prices at the end.  We do our best to respond to each questions personally and promptly.

Factors that affect the average price of addiction treatment

No addiction treatment facility prices addiction treatment the same. In fact, each addiction treatment center offers different services and accommodations, which can affect the average price of addiction treatment. So, how much can addiction treatment cost? The following list contains just a handful of factors that may affect the price of addiction treatment for you.

  1. Type of facility  – The type of facility is one of the biggest factors affecting the price of treatment. Inpatient facilities are generally pricier than outpatient facilities.
  2. Length of addiction treatment – Short-term addiction treatment is usually more affordable than long-term addiction treatment, which can last for several months or a year, or more.
  3. Services offered – What KIND of treatment you receive during a stay in rehab can affect final cost. Each therapy session, educational session, or group work may be billed individually by an addiction treatment center.  Other facilities may have an all-inclusive price for addiction treatment.  Check with the treatment center to learn more about their billing processes.
  4. Setting – Addiction treatment facilities that offer modest accommodations are by far less expensive than so-called luxury addiction treatment facilities.
  5. Pharmacotherapy options – If an addiction treatment plan includes the use of medications, such as methadone, the price will go up.
  6. Sliding scale fees – Paying out-of-pocket can greatly affect the total cost of addiction treatment.  Many addiction treatment programs and facilities operate with sliding scale fees. This means that a person’s income is a deciding factor in how much they pay.

Average price of addiction treatment: Inpatient vs Outpatient

As a general rule, inpatient addiction treatment is more expensive than outpatient addiction treatment. This is attributed to the daily intensive counseling and therapy sessions, as well as the structured drug-free environments offered by these facilities. 24-7 care can be costly, as well.  Inpatient addiction treatment facilities also usually come with a higher price tag.

According to one recent government study, the average price of addiction treatment per residential patient episode has recently been estimated at $11,260.  However, a private study has set the average price of 28-day inpatient addiction treatment at around $19,000.

The average price of addiction treatment in an outpatient setting was $2,325 per episode in the same government study and $6800 for a 10 week program in the private study.

How to afford addiction treatment

If you’re worried about how to afford addiction treatment, it’s important to realize that there are a number of different resources that you can use.

Government assistance – Some government assistance programs and grants can help cover the cost of addiction treatment. One example is Medicaid, a medical assistance program. Another example is addiction treatment vouchers.  Contact your county assistance office to see if you qualify for assistance.

Health insurance – Some health insurance plans cover at least part of the cost of addiction treatment. Contact your health insurance provider to find out if addiction treatment is covered and how much you can expect to contribute.

Non-profit organizations -Some non-profit organizations may also offer low cost or even free addiction treatment to those who need it. One example is the Salvation Army. Sliding scale fees – Many addiction treatment facilities offer sliding scale fees to individuals who are unable to cover the full price of addiction treatment. This means that individuals are only required to pay what they can reasonably afford to for treatment. Your price for sliding scale addiction treatment will be based on your income. Sliding scale addiction treatment facilities can be found by using the search feature on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website.

Tax credits –-You may be able to claim the cost of addiction treatment as a tax write off.  Check with a tax accountant for more information about filing the total cost of addiction treatment in the past year as a medical deduction.

Average price of addiction treatment questions

Still have questions about the average price of addiction treatment?  Please send us your questions in the comments section below.  We’ll do our best to respond to you personally and promptly.

Reference Sources: SAMHSA: Free Treatment Available
NCBI: Benefit– Cost in the California Treatment Outcome Project: Does Substance Abuse Treatment “Pay for Itself”?
Child Welfare: Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders
CASA Columbia: Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice
SAMHSA: Free Substance Abuse Treatment
NCBI: The Economic Costs of Substance Abuse Treatment: Updated Estimates and Cost Bands for Program Assessment and Reimbursement
About the author
Lee Weber is a published author, medical writer, and woman in long-term recovery from addiction. Her latest book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions is set to reach university bookstores in early 2019.
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