Elevance Health was named Anthem, Inc. until 2022. They offer a variety of health plans, including Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, in 14 states. They also have Wellpoint Medicare and Medicaid plans and additional affiliates. I am impressed with how Elevance works with its local communities to improve access to care and health equality.

Does Elevance Health Cover Addiction Treatment?

In 2010, a law called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed. This law requires all long term health insurance plans to cover a specific list of essential health benefits. Both mental healthcare and addiction treatment are part of the list, so you can rely on your Elevance Health plan to help cover at least some of the cost of drug rehab.

How much is covered? The details vary from plan to plan, so it’s important to talk to the insurance company for specifics. One thing is certain though — the law requires mental health and addiction to be treated the same as any other health condition but some conditions and exceptions do apply. They can’t charge extra or have higher out of pocket costs for those programs compared to other care.

It’s important to understand your specific plan so you know what centers are considered in network. Also, you should ask if there are any out of network benefits, in case your preferred treatment location isn’t part of your plan.

One thing that’s really exciting is that Elevance supports holistic treatment options, which means that those types of treatment are more likely to get coverage from your plan. In 2020, the company announced that they had more than doubled the number of members receiving whole person therapies for opioid use disorder.

Also, Elevance plans provide access to the Bright Heart Health telehealth MAT program to make it easier to pair counseling with medication use. Getting both is essential if you want to lay the foundation for long term recovery.