Are There Free Heroin Rehab Centers?
Heroin is a highly addictive opiate drug that can have devastating effects on the lives of addicts and others in their lives. Because quitting heroin causes severe withdrawal symptoms, an inpatient, or residential, drug rehab that specializes in treating heroin addiction can provide the support needed for a complete recovery. For many people struggling with a heroin addiction, the costs of heroin rehab can put help out of reach, but free heroin rehab services can make recovery a reality for just about everyone.
Behind the High Costs of Treating Heroin Addiction
Heroin addiction takes a severe toll on both body and mind. Injected, snorted, or swallowed, heroin affects receptors in the brain and other parts of the body. The drug causes physical changes in the brain’s neural structure and depresses the body’s central nervous system. When someone stops using heroin, those receptors respond to the absence of the drug with severe – and sometimes life-threatening – symptoms.
Although withdrawal typically lasts for about a week, during that time a heroin user can feel very sick, so medical supervision during detox and withdrawal is an important aspect of heroin rehab. Medical detox is usually done during a stay in an impatient rehab center, which must also cover meals and accommodations along with treatment.
Heroin detox and ongoing treatment during recovery can also involve a variety of medications to help with withdrawal symptoms and support recovery for the long term. The costs of drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine also add to the overall price tag for both inpatient and outpatient rehab.
Getting Free Help for Heroin Addiction
Heroin rehab can make a difference not only for addicted individuals and their families, but also for their communities. When rehab services are available to anyone who needs them, communities are safer, crime rates drop, and the incidence of addiction related diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS declines. For those reasons, federal, state and local governments are working to make inpatient and outpatient heroin rehab accessible to all.
Government-Funded Rehab Programs
For those with very limited funds, government funded rehab programs are available in every state. These programs are typically administered through state social service programs and the criminal justice system. To qualify, heroin users must document financial need and demonstrate proof of residence and citizenship.
These programs may not offer the full range of services and amenities available in private rehab settings costing several thousand dollars for a 30-day stay, but they do provide detox and withdrawal support and standard treatment including counseling and group therapy. Medications such as methadone are also available in both inpatient and outpatient programs.
Insurance Coverage for Heroin Rehab
Many kinds of health insurance also cover inpatient or outpatient rehab, so that services are provided at no charge to the user, or for relatively low co-pay. Insurance can cover standard rehab services wherever a policy is accepted, although there can be limits to the length of stay allowable in a residential facility, or on medications prescribed for recovery.
Medicare and Medicaid
For people over 65, the government sponsored healthcare plan Medicare covers rehab costs in dedicated rehab facilities, hospitals and outpatient programs. Under Medicare’s standard Part A for hospitalization and Part B for medical expenses, most costs of heroin rehab are automatically covered.
Medicaid, the health insurance program for very low income people and the disabled, can also cover the standard costs of inpatient and outpatient rehab services and some medications, at no cost to the user, or with a minimal co-pay for medications.
Getting treatment from a qualified heroin rehab is the first step toward safely quitting this addictive drug. Now, a variety of insurance options and government funded rehab programs are slashing the high costs of rehab services – and putting recovery within everyone’s reach.
Are you worried about your addictions – but afraid you can’t afford rehab? We can help. Call us at 800-430-1407Who Answers? for the answers you’re looking for right now.