Essential Health Benefits” Rule Covers Drug Addiction and Alcohol Abuse Treatment
The federal government on Wednesday issued a final rule on
“essential health benefits” that most health insurance plans must offer
next year, including treatment of drug addiction and alcohol abuse.
The New York Times
reports the Obama administration says 32 million people will gain
access to coverage of mental health care as a result of the new
benefits. An additional 30 million people who already have some mental
health coverage will see an improvement in their benefits, Secretary of
Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said. She noted the new
ruling will make it easier for consumers to compare health plans.
In the past, nearly 20 percent of individuals purchasing insurance
didn’t have access to mental health services, and nearly one-third had
no coverage for substance use disorder services, according to a
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) news release.
The new rule provides more Americans with access to quality health care
that includes coverage for mental health and substance use disorder
services, HHS states.
Each state will set its own benchmark insurance plan that reflects
coverage typically offered by employers, the article notes. More than 30
states are using a plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield as their
benchmark.
This is a good news. In alcohol rehab centers, it is an essential information. However, I guess, many alcoholic will get relax since they knew that they will still be insured whether they get addicted or not.
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