Mental health parity
Under federal law, most plans cannot put stricter limits on mental health and addiction care than on medical care. That covers visit limits, copays and how hard it is to get approval.
Your rights
You have more leverage than you think.
Seven protections most people in treatment have never heard of.
The No Surprises Act
Protects you from surprise out-of-network bills for emergency care, and from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. If you are uninsured or paying yourself, you are entitled to a good-faith estimate before care.
The right to appeal
If your plan denies care, you can appeal inside the plan, and then ask for an independent external review. Denials are overturned more often than people expect.
An itemized bill
You can ask any facility for a line-by-line bill. Errors are common.
Privacy
Substance use treatment records have extra federal privacy protection beyond HIPAA. A program generally cannot even confirm you are a patient without your written consent.
Job protection
The Family and Medical Leave Act can protect your job for up to 12 weeks of treatment if you qualify. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects people in recovery from discrimination.
No kickbacks
It is a federal crime to pay or receive anything of value for referring a patient to a treatment center, lab or sober home. Free flights, cash and "scholarships" from a recruiter are warning signs.
General information, not legal advice. Laws vary by state and by plan type.
Where to go
Official sources
Not sure where to start?
Tell us what is going on. Someone who has been there will point you to the next right step. No pressure, no sales pitch.