Wellpoint Health Insurance Coverage for Addiction Treatment

Wellpoint is a health insurance company that offers individual and family plans in multiple state Insurance Marketplaces. They also offer managed Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare supplement plans. Wellpoint used to be called Anthem, Inc. and in some states was known as Amerigroup. They changed their name to Wellpoint in 2024.

They also offer non Medicare/Medicaid plans to state and municipal employees in Massachusetts. There, you may know them as Unicare. They also changed their name to Wellpoint in 2024.

Does Wellpoint Cover Addiction Treatment?

Most of Wellpoint’s plans are in the Insurance Marketplace or they are Medicare or Medicaid plans. The laws governing these types of insurance, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ensure that they include coverage for addiction care, mental health, and co occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

To use your coverage, you’ll generally need to choose a provider within their network. It’s possible that the treatment center you had in mind might not be covered by your insurance plan but you can find a different one that is. Wellpoint does allow you to check what providers are in their network by looking online.

Different plans will have different coverage requirements and limits as well as out of pocket costs, such as deductibles and copayments. Many Medicaid plans offer care free of charge. For some Wellpoint plans you might need pre authorization before you can start rehab. Be sure to review your insurance plan to get all the details before starting treatment.

In What States Does Wellpoint Operate?

Wellpoint will offer individual and family plans on the Insurance Marketplace in Florida, Texas, and Maryland beginning in 2025.

If you live in one of these states, you may qualify for one of Wellpoint’s Medicare or Medicaid plans: Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, andWashington.

Massachusetts residents who are government employees or retirees also have access to Wellpoint plans that are not associated with Medicare or Medicaid. If a government employee or retiree is eligible for Medicare, they can get a Wellpoint Medicare plan.

What Types of Plans Does Wellpoint Offer?

Wellpoint’s individual and family plans are either health maintenance organizations (HMOs) or point of service (POS) plans. An HMO is less expensive each month but you’ll need to stay within the provider network for care and you’ll need a referral for a specialist, such as an addiction counselor. A Wellpoint POS plan allows you to see non network providers and you don’t need a referral to see specialists. However if you use an out of network provider you’ll pay significantly more in out of pocket costs.

For those who qualify Wellpoint offers Medicare plans. You can get a Medicare Supplement plan which helps you pay for out of pocket costs in Original Medicare. Another option is to get a Wellpoint Medicare Advantage plan which replaces Original Medicare and often includes additional benefits. However, you’ll likely have to use the plan’s provider network and may need to get preauthorization for care.

Wellpoint’s Medicaid plans are available in six states. These plans offer low or no cost care to lower income individuals and families. You’ll need to work with treatment centers that accept Medicaid in order to get the care you need.

If you’re a government employee in Massachusetts, the types of plans that Wellpoint has for you to choose from are indemnity plans and PPO plans. With an indemnity plan, you can go to whatever provider you would like and it’ll be covered equally at whatever the set amount is for your plan.

With a PPO plan, you can still go wherever you would like, but if you stay within your plan’s provider network you will have better coverage.

How Much Does Rehab Cost With Insurance?

The cost you’ll be expected to cover for rehab varies quite a bit depending on what type of insurance plan you have. Most Medicaid plans don’t make you share part of the cost, so if you have Medicaid, your rehab treatment probably won’t cost you anything.

For other types of plans, you will need to look at your deductible and what percentage of the cost of the service is covered. You may also want to consider your maximum out of pocket cost. You’ll likely get the lowest costs if you stay within your provider network.

Types of Inpatient Treatment Covered by Wellpoint

Depending on your Wellpoint plan you may need to obtain a referral and/or prior authorization before starting residential treatment. Doing this helps ensure that the treatment you’re seeking matches your doctor’s recommended treatment plan — in other words this treatment is medically necessary for you.

Your doctor will do an American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) assessment. This will determine whether you need residential care or can start with an outpatient program. Residential care may be deemed appropriate if your addiction has taken over your life and you need 24/7 support to break free. It has the added benefit of helping you reset your lifestyle. You can expect to spend large portions of each day doing scheduled activities that contribute to your recovery. The treatment length can range from a few weeks to a few months.

Depending on what substance you’re using you may need medical detox before you go to rehab. The focus of treatment will be to oversee your safe withdrawal from the substance you were using. Detox is most commonly used to help people off of alcohol or opioids like heroin or oxycodone. A typical stay lasts about three to ten days and allows you to start your treatment program with a fresh slate.

Types of Outpatient Rehab Covered by Wellpoint

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is one type of outpatient treatment that Wellpoint may cover for you. It’s a lot like residential rehab but you go home at the end of the day. With a PHP you’ll usually find that you’re scheduled for programming all day long four or five days a week.

The next step down from partial hospitalization is intensive outpatient treatment. The program content is similar to partial hospitalization but you spend less time there. You might only be there for two to three half days a week. Partial hospitalization programs are designed to continue to support you while you return to your responsibilities like work or caregiving.

In standard outpatient treatment you’ll meet with an addiction counselor on a regular schedule. Most commonly you’ll meet once a month but the frequency of your appointments can range from weekly to every few months. If you need medication management you might get that from a separate provider on a similar schedule. Sometimes the same provider can do both.

If you’re someone who can benefit from medications that treat your addiction, Wellpoint may cover that treatment for you. Medication assisted therapy is also known as MAT. Sometimes it’s integrated into the treatment you’re already getting and sometimes you can access it separately.

Does Wellpoint Cover Methadone & Suboxone (MAT)?

MAT is used to treat opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder and benzodiazepine abuse. Like other treatments this is a therapy Wellpoint may cover for you if a health professional determines that MAT will benefit your recovery.

MAT can be used to help ease your withdrawal symptoms. MAT can also be used to aid your detox process as an outpatient. The decision whether to treat you as an inpatient or an outpatient would hinge on factors like the status of your health and the severity of your addiction.

When you’re detoxing from alcohol or benzos the goal is usually to end your physical dependence on these substances. Once you have finished detox there are medications that your provider may initiate to help you stay sober.

If you’re withdrawing from opioids the goal may also be to end your physical dependence and then prescribe medication that helps you stay sober. Alternatively, the goal of MAT with opioid use disorder may be to reduce your physical dependence and then transition you to a maintenance drug.

Does Addiction Treatment Need to Be In Network?

Whether you can go out of network will depend on the type of health plan you have. If you have an individual or family plan or a Medicare Advantage plan look at what type it is. An HMO will generally require you to use in network treatment while a POS or preferred provider plan may cover out of network treatment.

If you have a Wellpoint Medicaid plan you’ll most likely need to stay in network to get treatment. If you’re a Massachusetts government worker with a Wellpoint plan, you may be able to go out of network.

Keep in mind that when you use a non network provider your deductible and copay along with your out of pocket maximum could all be higher. If you can stay within the network that’s the best way ot maximize your insurance coverage and minimize your personal cost.