Welcome to Drug and Alcohol Treatment
| ||
Substance Abuse Clinics Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Substance Abuse Clinics. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
from:
Alcohol And Drug Rehab Must Be Covered By Pennsylvania Insurance
By Rod MacTaggart
A Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that HMOs and group insurance companies must cover drug and alcohol treatment costs for policy holders referred to detoxification, rehabilitation and outpatient programs by a doctor or psychologist. The unanimous decision will help about 15,000 state residents with private insurance who need help through drug detox and drug rehab each year.
A 1989 state law requires insurance companies to cover drug and alcohol detox and rehab services. Aetna, Independence Blue Cross, the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania and other managed-care groups sued the state’s Insurance Department, saying that they should be allowed to review drug and alcohol treatment referrals to make sure that treatment is appropriate. But the court sided with the Insurance Department's interpretation that treatment would be covered as long as a doctor or psychologist prescribed the alcohol or drug rehab program.
“It's a really important decision,” said Deborah Beck, president of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. “Somebody at the end of an 800 number in another state should never be making these decisions.”
The insurance industry could appeal to the state Supreme Court and argue that state law allows insurers to review treatment in other health care areas before paying for care, and that it’s reasonable that alcohol and drug detox and drug rehab programs should be treated the same way. The insurance industry’s reviews of alcohol and drug rehab referrals would be conducted by physicians and psychologists, an Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania spokesman said, adding that when you don't have scrutiny over treatment patterns, you get increased health care costs.
However, doctors and psychologists who review cases for the insurance companies are paid by the insurance companies. Although this fact was not openly considered as part of the court’s ruling, the fact remains that reviewers’ decisions could tend to favor their employers – the HMOs and insurance companies – rather than the addicts, whos own treatment professionals have already determined that they need alcohol and drug detox and drug rehab programs.
Battling with HMOs and group insurers over desperately needed coverage is nothing new to Americans. The issue has been widely popularized in several books and movies that detailed the horrors resulting from the insurance industry’s penchant to favor their bottom line ahead of patient health.
According to Beck, slowing down the availability of alcohol and drug rehab through a complicated approvals process places addicts at risk. They might “disappear and die,” she said, adding that the court ruling upholds a “life-saving” law.
After nearly two decades on the books, the Pennsylvania law may finally have the chance to accomplish its intentions – to get people suffering from substance abuse and addictions into an alcohol or drug rehab program as quickly as possible.
Rod is a freelance writer who contributes articles on health
contact: info@drugrehabreferral.com
http://www.drugrehabreferral.com/content/drug_rehab
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rod_MacTaggart
http://EzineArticles.com/?Alcohol-And-Drug-Rehab-Must-Be-Covered-By-Pennsylvania-Insurance&id=677099
Substance Abuse Clinics Specific links
Substance Abuse Clinics News
Carter County Commmission tightens Suboxone clinic regulation
ELIZABETHTON — In a sometimes-confused debate, the Carter County Commission approved a change to the zoning regulation that specifies where methadone and other substance-abuse clinics can be located in the county.
Read more...Group of Medical Providers Gathered in Bangor to Discuss the Future of Methadone Treatment
Medical providers from area substance abuse clinics gathered in Bangor Thursday night, to discuss the future of methadone treatment. The legislature recently passed a bill to limit methadone treatment to two years unless a doctor says otherwise. The community advisory group is a group of medic . . .
Read more...The Khanna Institute Attends the 9th Annual James Caan Golf Tournament
The James Caan celebrity golf tournament was held April 23rd, 2012 to raise funds for the Impact Treatment Center in Pasadena California. The Impact Treatment Center is non-profit organization that works to help individuals suffering from substance abuse. Dr. Rajesh Khanna Medical Director of The Khanna Institute of Beverly Hills attended the event. ...
Read more...Man gets probation for child endangerment
Timothy William Mitchell will undergo a substance abuse and mental health evaluation and will follow whatever directive examiners recommend as a result of a head injury suffered by his infant son.
Read more...Health Net Foundation Providing $175,000 in Grants to Help Improve Dental Care and Oral Health
The Health Net Foundation, a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc., is providing $175,000 in grants to 12 California school-based health centers and community medical clinics to further t
Read more...Raging epidemic
A recent study at four schools in Wayne County found “alcohol is the drug of choice” for students, and the strongest predictor that a student would begin abusing alcohol is “parental attitudes favorable to drug use.”
Read more...CRC Health Corporation Reports Operating Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012
CRC Health Corporation , a leading provider of substance abuse treatment and adolescent youth services through its wholly owned consolidated subsidiaries, a
Read more...AFTS Labs in East Northport, NY Announces Use of Oral Fluid Drug Testing to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse Nationwide
Oral Fluid Drug Testing is a highly effective system in identifying drug use.East Northport, NY (PRWEB) May 02, 2012 Oral fluid drug testing is a very significant advance in prescription/illicit drug monitoring as it provides an efficient, non-invasive and directly observable collection method. AFTS Labs in East Northport, NY is a premier, full service laboratory that specializes in providing ...
Read more...Feds: Descent to addiction often starts at home
Feds: Descent to addiction often starts at home Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 03:16Â p.m., Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Two stays in prison followed for drug convictions, but now the 32-year-old mother of two is trying to get her life back on track at a Louisville substance ...
Read more...Vt. lawmakers debate drug data access by police
Gov. Peter Shumlin in his State of the State address in January cited an "epidemic" of prescription drug abuse in Vermont as justification for allowing police to get access without search warrants ...
Read more...