Opioid recovery is becoming a huge problem throughout the nation. People may be facing mental or emotional tragedy—making them turn to drugs to cope. If your patients have found themselves in this situation, you probably are wondering what this means for health insurance prices. You may also wonder how you can help your patients escape this vicious cycle.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008

The federal government passed legislation in 2008 that helped people who were overcome by opioid addiction. Several departments banded together to request that health care providers couldn’t neglect the mental health component of health care when offering their insurance plans.

This meant that people who had to have physical surgeries because of their opioid problem could also receive psychological coverage as well. The government passed this with the hope that people would overcome their drug addiction—thus improving their lives. Because this passed, people no longer have to worry about paying out of pocket for mental health services (so long as they can afford health care).

Covering Medication

That is not all, however. Most health care providers also cover medications that put people on the road to recovery. Methadone and Suboxone are common medications included in opioid treatment plans and are reported to be some of the most effective medications for alleviating withdrawal symptoms.

Depending on the severity of your addiction, you may want one medication over the other. Methadone is a bit extreme and is usually best for patients who are going through a more intense recovery. Suboxone offers a lower chance of respiratory depression and is carefully administered by a counselor each week.

Addiction Recovery

Meeting with psychologists and doctors frequently can be a great way to recover from opioid addiction. But you should help patients to find more ways to reduce their risk of backsliding. It’s generally good to advise patients to find an addiction recovery program near them. More social safety nets can prevent them from returning to their bad habits.

Patients should always ask a psychologist if they think this would be a good idea. If they give them the go-ahead, they can contact their local addiction recovery representatives and plan on meeting regularly. They may feel uncomfortable going alone. In these cases, they can ask a friend or family member to accompany them.

Overcoming addiction can feel ridiculously hard. Thankfully, there are many resources and methods to make the process feel more bearable. Developing a stronger community is a great start. Consulting insurance and buying the proper medication will also help your patients’ recovery. 

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