Longer-duration treatment doesn't necessarily mean a hospital or residential stay, experts say. Some treatment centers and hospitals offer transition to a sober-living residence, where residents are free to go about their lives but also receive daily counseling. The Betty Ford Center has about 15 houses, with six people to a home, to continue long-term care. The residences are designed to allow clients to return to more normal lives while offering support and advice in remaining drug-free.
"The supervision is light," Haroutunian says. "They go into the community. But they more or less report in every day for their program."
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Coverage varies
Some people would like to commit to a longer period of treatment but can't afford it.
Most states, including California, have laws mandating that group health insurance plans include addiction-treatment coverage, but insurance programs vary widely in the amount of inpatient care that is covered. Some plans cover 30 days of inpatient care per year, although other insurers will discontinue inpatient coverage after a week or two if a patient is physically stable. A few will pay for treatment that lasts more than 30 days.
Care is typically most expensive in the first month, Haroutunian says. At Betty Ford, the first month of inpatient treatment costs $24,000; the second and third months cost $8,000 each.
People without insurance coverage often pay out-of-pocket. The cost is overwhelming to most people, he acknowledges. "But we tell them it may save their life. Most people see the wisdom in that."
Intensive outpatient programs are becoming more common for people who cannot afford the steep price of long inpatient or residential care, Fletcher says. Successful care of that nature, he says, "means, on average, at least every other day having contact with a group or therapist."
In his counseling work, Owens says, he encounters resistance to the idea of spending three months or more devoted to nothing but recovery. People view it as a sacrifice, but he tries to reassure them they'll gain more than they lose.
"Even if you have to lose a job, so be it," Owens says. "You're trying to save your life. And what comes next could be the best part of your life."
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shari.roan@latimes.com
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Targets for extended treatment
