Drug Treatment Florida, Drug Rehab Florida, Drug and alcohol treatment Florida, Alcohol rehab center Florida, Alcohol rehabilitation Florida, and Drug and alcohol rehab Florida reported that in June of 2012, the Supreme Court voted to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA); thus, in terms of addiction, alcoholism and drug dependence, insurers are no longer permitted to hold people hostage who suffer from this disease. Individuals suffering from drug dependence and alcoholism now have a choice of where they receive treatment, whereas before, no choice existed. By way of example, I received a call from a woman who wanted treatment immediately and was unable to obtain insurance. My recommendation was that she seeks out state funded treatment. Good luck! Have you ever tried to do this?
More than 13 million American non-elderly adults have been denied insurance specifically because of their medical conditions, according to the Commonwealth Fund and reported by Drug and alcohol treatment Florida, Drug rehabilitation Florida, Drug treatment centers Florida, Outpatient drug rehab Florida and Outpatient drug treatment Florida. The Kaiser Family Foundation says 21% of people who apply for health insurance on their own get turned down, are charged a higher price, or offered a plan that excludes coverage for their pre-existing condition.
In short, those with substance abuse and mental health issues, previously prevented from obtaining adequate care, can expect the following:
- Insurers must cover those with pre-existing conditions;
- Children under age 19 can no longer have limited benefits or be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition;
- In 2014, it will be illegal for insurance companies to utilize pre-existing conditions to exclude, limit or set outrageous rates on insurance coverage;
- The Affordable Care Act requires that all health care plans have a basic benefits package that cover mental health and substance abuse disorders;
- All plans in the health insurance exchange must adhere to the provisions of the Wellstone/Domenici Parity Act that requires mental health and substance abuse benefits be provided in the same way as all other medical and surgical benefits;
Prior to receiving treatment for my alcoholism and drug dependence, I had full health insurance benefits. After, I was unable to attain coverage in the state of Florida, even if my pre-existing condition was excluded. I was flat out denied coverage by every insurance company, including the high-risk pool in Florida, because the high-risk pool had been closed for 5 years. To obtain coverage, I was forced to move my residency to Missouri (where I owned a home) and then, I was only permitted to obtain coverage from the high-risk pool at a cost of $750.00 per month. Also, note, this policy had a lifetime cap of $1,000,000.00.
What would a person who didn’t have the means to pay $750.00 per month do? The answer, they would be prevented from having health insurance and thus, face total financial ruin in the event of a medical catastrophe. Outpatient rehab Florida, Drug and alcohol treatment, Drug and alcohol rehab and Outpatient drug rehab strongly disagrees with any attempt to repeal Obama Care.
|