Beacon

Beacon Health Options is one of the largest providers of behavioral health treatments in the United States. Having been around for more than 30 years, the company has served over 40 million people. Much of this has been addiction treatment services. With a focus on mental and behavioral health, the company prioritizes the type of care that most people with substance use disorders need. This guide will answer all your questions about getting addiction treatment through Beacon.

How Do You Tell Which Plan You Have With Beacon?

Since the cost of treatment and the types of addiction recovery treatments in your network will depend so much on your plan, it is helpful to figure out which plan you have through the company. You can go to Beacon’s member website and log in to your account to see a complete list of your benefits and coverage type. This can help you figure out things like whether a specific clinic is part of your insurance network and how much you will pay for each visit to a substance use disorder specialist.

Which Companies Provide Care Through Beacon?

Beacon does not provide many individualized insurance plans. Instead, it mostly creates plans that various companies and universities use to provide health care policies for their employees and students. Beacon also provides some coverage through other insurance companies or government programs like Medicare. Essentially, many major insurance groups and companies will use Beacon to administer the behavioral health portion of their health care offerings. If you have insurance through one of the companies affiliated with Beacon, you can talk to Beacon to coordinate your addiction treatment and find a rehab facility that works for your needs. Some of the many organizations that may work with Beacon to provide addiction treatment include:

• Aetna
• Anthem Blue Cross
• Emblem Health Plan
• HealthFirst
• Humana
• MetroPlus
• MolinaHealthcare
• Simply Medicare
• YourCareHealthPlan

How Much Will Beacon Help With the Costs of Treatment?

Since there is such a huge amount of variation in the plans offered by Beacon, there is no single definitive amount of coverage that patients can expect. For those who have Beacon facilities as part of their insurance plan, they can generally get some sort of discounted cost. In some cases, Beacon may cover the entire cost of a patient’s treatment. Others may have a copay, which is essentially a flat rate fee for each visit to an addiction care center, or a coinsurance arrangement where Beacon covers a certain percentage of their costs.

Whether or not you select an addiction treatment center in your Beacon network will make a big difference in your costs. In-network facilities are essentially a group of addiction specialists that meet Beacon’s treatment standards. These facilities offer various discounted rates for the large amount of patients Beacon can send their way. It is always cheaper to go in-network instead of out-of-network. Depending on your plan, Beacon may not help you pay for out-of-network facilities at all, or it may make you pay a higher portion of the fees. Fortunately, Beacon’s network is so large that it is very easy to find Beacon-approved facilities.

How Do You Tell If You Need to Talk to Beacon About Addiction Treatment?

Beacon has several questionnaires you can fill out through its website if you are concerned about a substance use disorder. Though you cannot diagnose yourself fully online, these questions can help you discover if your usage has become problematic.

• Do you start feeling physically ill when you quit using drugs for more than a few hours?
• Have you lost interest in spending time with loved ones or participating in hobbies?
• Do you have to take more and more of the drugs to get the same effect?
• Have you taken part in risky or illegal activities while using or obtaining drugs?
• Do you end up using more drugs or taking them for longer amounts than you meant to?
• Has your job, personal relationships, or schoolwork declined since you started using drugs?
• Do you spend the majority of your time using, thinking about, or obtaining drugs?
• Have you ever tried to cut down on usage but cannot?
• Do you try to hide your usage from those around you?
• Do you have intense cravings to use drugs?
• Have you neglected important responsibilities to use drugs?
• Have you been hurt or placed in danger while using drugs?

If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, consider seeking an evaluation from an expert. Substance use disorders can appear very gradually, so it’s possible to end up with an addiction even if you think you have everything under control.

Can You Get Detox Treatment From Beacon?

If you want to recover from a substance use disorder, you’ll need to go through detoxification. This is a type of treatment that involves removing all traces of the drug from your system and helping with the withdrawal symptoms you feel during the process. Detox is generally offered at Beacon’s substance use disorder treatment centers. During a medical detox, you can have staff members monitor your vitals and step in if they notice any problems. They can also assist by administering medications to help with common detox symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, vomiting, or diarrhea. Beacon may also cover the costs of these prescriptions; although, the exact coverage level will depend on your plan.

Depending on your plan, Beacon may cover the detox services you receive at a hospital as well. Withdrawal can be so intense that it causes issues like trouble breathing, irregular heartbeat, seizures, dehydration, or hallucinations. In some cases, such as when recovering from a benzodiazepine addiction, it can be potentially life-threatening to stop treatment suddenly. Beacon’s coverage may include both medications you receive to help with detox and any psychiatric care you require during your hospital stay.

What Is the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment?

The first thing you need to decide when looking for health care with Beacon is the proper type of rehab center. Inpatient rehab is the most intensive level of rehab. Also called residential rehab, this sort of drug treatment requires you to check in to an addiction treatment center for a certain amount of time and live there while attending various classes, counseling sessions, and therapies each day. Most types of residential treatment will last at least a couple weeks, and some may last up to three or four months. This type of rehab is useful because it completely takes you out of your old environment. You get constant support from both staff and other patients, so there is less of a risk of relapsing. Instead of being distracted by daily life, you can focus entirely on your own sobriety.

The other main option, outpatient rehab, is a broader category of treatments. Outpatient rehab refers to any sort of substance use disorder treatment where you live at home and regularly visit the clinic for help. This type of treatment can be useful because it is more versatile. You can stay at home, manage your current responsibilities, and avoid telling others about rehab if desired. For those who have more severe addictions or health problems, partial hospitalization might be recommended. This is a type of outpatient where you spend several hours every day in rehab and may get medical care as well. There is also intensive outpatient rehab, which requires going to rehab for a few hours each day of the week, so you still get plenty of care. As you progress through the stages of rehab, your outpatient treatment may cut back on its hours until you are just visiting the center once a week or so for a therapy appointment or group counseling session.

All of these types of treatment are covered by Beacon. However, your insurance company may not cover treatment unless a doctor or health expert thinks it’s necessary. Therefore, representatives may be a little more stringent about who has access to inpatient rehab. Since it’s more expensive and can include a variety of treatments, Beacon will only cover inpatient rehab if its representatives are certain you need it. Some reasons you may be eligible for inpatient treatment include dealing with a very severe addiction, experiencing a relapse after outpatient treatment, or having a home life that makes it hard to stay sober. The rehab that Beacon will cover depends on the recommendations of your doctors and mental health experts. Factors like any coexisting mental disorders, co-occurring health problems, length of addiction, and type of addiction may all affect the sorts of treatment that Beacon will recommend.

Which Therapies Does Beacon Provide?

Regardless of whether you pick inpatient or outpatient treatment, most Beacon addiction treatments will focus on behavioral therapy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that therapy is clinically proven to be one of the most effective forms of drug abuse treatment. Most therapy for addiction involves sitting and talking things through with recovery specialists. These sessions can be private with just you and a therapist, or they may include your family or other people struggling with substance use.

The most common therapy Beacon offers is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This treatment encourages you to identify negative thought patterns, like “I don’t deserve to get healthy” and overcome them. CBT can also provide healthier ways of processing addiction triggers, so you can better cope with the desire to use drugs. Dialectical behavioral therapy, a type of treatment that focuses on changing harmful thoughts, may also be helpful. Clinics will often offer a variety of therapy modalities, so you can address your unique problems and all the complexities of addiction. Beacon will also cover therapy for other mental conditions like depression that may be causing you to self medicate.

In addition to all these behavioral therapies, there are holistic therapies that focus on improving the general well-being of a former user. There are physically active options, like horseback riding, yoga, exercise, and gardening that can help to take your mind off cravings and improve physical wellness. You can also find options like acupuncture, aromatherapy, and massage that are all about relaxing and reducing stress. Typically, Beacon will cover these as part of an inclusive rehab program but not as standalone treatments. Holistic therapy is often covered on a case-by-case basis.

Who Can You Talk to About Understanding Beacon’s Coverage Options?

When you’re ready to get started on treating your addiction, one of the best places to start is with Beacon’s representatives. You can log in to your online account or call the customer service number on the back of your card to learn more about your plan. If you are struggling to navigate all this information on your own, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 800-662-4357. This is a federally run program staffed by trained professionals. They can provide you with confidential and accurate information on getting treatment that’s covered by Beacon.

If you’re struggling with substance use, you should never let worries about costs keep you from getting the help you deserve. Beacon can assist you with all sorts of addiction treatments so you can focus on getting sober. Fortunately, there are plenty of helpful organizations that can advocate for you if you’re not comfortable dealing with Beacon on your own. In fact, many addiction recovery clinics have staff present just to help you sort out insurance. After you call or email them, they can let you know right away if Beacon covers your care and how much you can expect to pay. Navigating insurance coverage is a necessary part of your path to sobriety, so there are all sorts of resources to assist you with this task.