How much does rehab cost? This is one of the most common questions many people have when they’re considering addiction treatment. The costs of rehab can be high, but there are flexible payment options, and the costs shouldn’t be a barrier to treatment. The cost of remaining in active addiction can be much more than the costs of rehab and may end up costing you your life. The following will provide an overview of how much rehab costs on average and how to pay for rehab.
The Types of Addiction Treatment Programs and How Much Does Rehab Cost
What's In This Article?
There are different types of addiction treatment programs available, and the type you select or your loved one selects will be one of the biggest factors that determine how much it costs.
The following is an overview of the different types of treatment programs.
How Much Does Inpatient Drug Rehab Cost?
One of the primary types of addiction treatment people select is an inpatient program or residential treatment.
What Is Inpatient Rehab?
Inpatient rehab requires patients to check into a treatment facility for some time. That time can range from a few weeks up to 90 days or more, and some inpatient rehab programs can be shorter or longer than that.
When someone is in inpatient rehab, they sleep in the treatment facility, and they receive around-the-clock medical care and supervision. The monitored environment of inpatient rehab is valuable for many people because it provides them with support and removes triggers that could increase the likelihood of relapse in the difficult early days of sobriety.
The average length of an inpatient rehab program is usually 30 days. How long someone stays in inpatient treatment affects the price, and the length of a rehab stay is based on:
- Whether or not someone needs a medical detox
- The severity of the addiction
- Whether there are co-occurring mental or physical health conditions requiring specialized treatment
- If the person has gone through rehab previously
Inpatient or residential rehab can vary quite a bit in terms of amenities. Some residential treatment programs are very simple with few amenities, while others are high-end or luxury rehab centers with holistic treatment programs and amenities similar to a resort.
How much does inpatient drug rehab cost or inpatient alcohol rehab?
If someone is participating in a medical detox onsite at the treatment facility, the costs for that can range from $25o to $800 a day. Most people participate in detox programs for around 30 days, although some can be shorter and some can be longer.
How much does inpatient drug rehab cost without medical detox? The costs can range between $2,000 to $20,000 on average, for a 30-day program. A luxury rehab may cost upwards of $25,000 for a 30-day stay, although the majority of programs will cost significantly less.
The cost of long-term residential rehab may be double the average costs of shorter-term inpatient rehab, so it may cost $40,000 or more.
Other estimates put the average cost of inpatient rehab at anywhere from $14,000 to $27,000 for a 30-day program and the cost of detox at up to $1,000 a day.
How Much Does Outpatient Rehab Cost?
Another addiction treatment option is outpatient rehab. Some people may participate in outpatient rehab after completing an inpatient program, and others may only do outpatient rehab. Cost is often a big reason people opt for outpatient rehab over inpatient treatment.
Outpatient rehab can be a viable option for someone with a milder or shorter-term addiction, or someone who hasn’t previously tried another form of treatment.
Outpatient rehab also lets participants continue working as normal, so there isn’t a concern about how to manage bills while you’re away at treatment.
What is Outpatient Rehab?
Outpatient rehab is a broad term that can refer to a variety of types of treatment programs. Some outpatient rehab programs may be as simple as drug education, while others may be more intensive and similar to inpatient rehab in many ways.
Typically a person will check into treatment a few times a week, several hours at a time. Most outpatient rehab programs are based on counseling and therapy.
The costs of outpatient rehab are usually significantly lower than residential treatment since there isn’t room, board and 24-hour around the clock care.
Some outpatient programs are free, and on average most addiction therapy and counseling-based outpatient programs can cost up to $1,000 for the entire program. For intensive outpatient treatment, costs may range from $3,000 to $10,000 for the total treatment program. Outpatient detox programs can range from $300 to $800 a day.
How Much Does Medication-Assisted Treatment Cost?
According to a report from the federal government, rehab for opioid addiction that involves methadone-assisted treatment costs around $6,500 a year on average. For buprenorphine-assisted treatment, the costs are $5,980 a year on average. For naltrexone-assisted treatment, the costs are estimated at an average of $14,112 a year.
Free Rehab and Low-Cost Addiction Treatment
When you’re wondering how much does rehab cost, you may be thinking of private centers. The costs listed above are typically for private rehabs, but there are other options that may be free or low-cost. For example, most state governments offer free and low-cost rehab services on both inpatient and outpatient bases.
Government-subsidized rehab centers may not be as high-end as some private treatment centers, but they do typically have similar outcomes. Some health clinics will also offer free community care or sliding-scale fees for people who can’t afford the full price of treatment and don’t have insurance.
Does Insurance Pay for Addiction Treatment?
Another question that tends to come with how much does rehab cost” is whether or not insurance will pay for the costs of rehab. The answer is yes, in many cases private insurance will cover some or all of the costs of addiction treatment.
Insurance plans purchased under the state exchanges implemented by the Affordable Care Act are required to cover mental health and substance abuse treatment services in the same way physical health services are covered.
However, for insurance to cover the cost of rehab, you often have to be in-network with the rehab center you choose. Insurance companies will have certain providers that they contract with as part of their network. If you’re unsure of what rehab center would be in-network with your insurance company, you can contact them, and they will typically provide you with a list as well as a list of the exact services covered by your plan. For example, rehab stays of a certain length may be covered, but then beyond that, you might have to pay out of pocket.
Summing Up—How Much Does Rehab Cost?
Inpatient rehab can cost an average of around $8,000 for a 30-day stay although many variables affect this. Outpatient rehab is usually cheaper, and insurance tends to cover some or all of the costs of addiction treatment so check with your provider if you’re unsure.
Sources:
Addiction Center. “Cost of Drug and Alcohol Rehab.” December 27, 2018. Accessed April 1, 2019.
DrugRehab.com “How Much Does Drug Rehab Cost?” Accessed April 1, 2019.
Miller, Leah MA. “What Is the Overall Typical Cost of Drug Rehab Centers?” Rehabs.com. Accessed April 1, 2019.