How Will Healthcare Reform Affect Florida Drug Rehab Programs?

People struggling with addiction should seek help from Florida drug rehab now before access to substance abuse treatment evaporates. With the Affordable Care Act at a high risk of repeal and no promise of similar drug abuse treatment coverage going forward, millions of Americans, many of them in the state of Florida, could miss the window of opportunity for treatment and find in its place a locked door.

The American Health Care Act Reduces Addiction Treatment Coverage

The Affordable Care Act addresses issues that have affected residents of Florida and around the country for generations. Its potentially imminent repeal puts many at a much higher risk of little or no access to addiction treatment care.

Where the ACA offers different levels of coverage, the proposed replacement, the American Health Care Act, eliminates that and lets insurers decide how much they will cover. Florida residents will pay whatever is left in deductibles, coinsurance, and copays.

The ACA also requires every insurance policy to meet certain standards, such as preventative care and substance abuse treatment. According to Vox, the American Health Care Act cuts addiction treatment coverage and could disproportionately affect low-income Floridians because of deep Medicaid cuts as well.

ACA Repeal Timing Aligns with Florida Opioid Addiction Epidemic

At no other time in Florida’s history has medical insurance coverage for addiction treatment been more important. There is a statewide opioid epidemic that claimed nearly 4,000 Florida lives in 2015 alone.

In May, Governor Rick Scott declared an official public health emergency. He authorized the State Surgeon General to distribute the overdose medication Naloxone to emergency responders. The declaration also lets Florida benefit from millions in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant money, says NBC News.

With lower required coverage, less access to Medicaid, and insurance companies that can decide rates and coverage limits on their own, counties like Miami-Dade and Palm Beach could see already high rates of overdose deaths rise. In 2016, 220 people died in Miami-Dade of a heroin and Fentanyl or Carfentanil cocktail. In Palm Beach, 525 people died from overdose.

Entering Treatment Soon Gives You a Better Chance at Coverage and Recovery

The timing of addiction treatment is critical now. Chances are, the ACA may be repealed. Depending on whether the federal government can reach an agreement on a new bill, there may or may not be a replacement.

If you have medical insurance, do not put off treatment. Check your policy to learn about your levels of coverage for substance abuse treatment. Every policy has coverage, but it varies. If you have Medicaid coverage, timing is even more critical, as many people will lose coverage if the new administration’s plans come to fruition.

Entering treatment now opens up numerous options that could save your life and help you move forward into a lifetime of recovery. You could benefit from these and many other benefits:

• Medically-assisted detox
• Inpatient or outpatient treatment
• Co-occurring disorder diagnosis and treatment
• Counseling
• Aftercare

The Affordable Care Act requires every insurance policy to cover a minimum of addiction treatment care. With the potential repeal of the ACA drawing closer every day, the future is uncertain.  If you or someone you care about is struggling with an addiction, take advantage of coverage while you have it. Contact us today and learn about your options.