UnitedHealthcare for Illinois Addiction Treatment

UnitedHealthcare has a wide variety of health plans, and your specific plan will depend on where you live and how you obtained your coverage. For example, UnitedHealthcare offers insurance plans through employers, and you can also get Medicare, Medicaid, and supplemental plans through UnitedHealthcare.²

Individual and family plans are available through your state’s Marketplace.² UnitedHealthcare plans include Choice, Choice Plus, Options PPO, and Navigate plans.³ It’s important to understand the details of your specific plan so you can easily access the treatment you need, including substance abuse treatment.

Yes, you can use UnitedHealthcare for addiction treatment in Illinois. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all long-term health insurance plans must cover 10 essential health benefits, which include mental health and substance use treatment.⁴

That means you can use UnitedHealthcare substance abuse coverage to pay for some or all of the cost of rehab. It’s important to know the details of your plan so you know what’s covered, how much, and what requirements there are. One easy way to get this information is to use the verify health insurance page to review your plan. This will help you find UnitedHealthcare rehab facilities and know what to expect.

There are many types of substance misuse treatment, and the coverage from your insurance plan will depend on what your doctor determines is medically necessary. Both drug and alcohol treatment can be covered by UnitedHealthcare.

Some common types of treatment that may be covered include:⁵

• Detox. Before you begin treatment, detox allows your body to clear the substances from your system so that you can start fresh.
• Inpatient rehab. During inpatient care, you live in a facility so that you can create new habits and start a new life without any distractions.
• Outpatient programs. Outpatient programs allow you to live at home and attend treatment for a few hours a week, often after you complete an inpatient program.
• Aftercare programs. Once you finish treatment, aftercare programs give you the support you need to implement your new habits into your daily life and achieve long-term recovery.

There are specialized drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs and settings. These can take place in inpatient or outpatient settings.

Some examples include:

• Couples’ treatment, which is helpful if you and your partner both misuse substances and would like to work on creating a sober life together.
• Veterans rehab programs, which help military members deal with the unique stresses and concerns they’ve experienced so they can overcome substance use.
• Family therapy, which can help you understand how substance misuse affects your family.

If you have specific concerns or experiences that impact your struggle with substance use, it can be helpful to find a treatment program focused on those experiences.

Does UnitedHealthcare Cover Mental Health in Illinois?

You can also use your UnitedHealthcare insurance to cover mental health treatment since it’s part of the 10 essential health benefits that long-term health plans cover.⁴

If you have a mental health diagnosis alongside substance misuse, that’s known as a co-occurring disorder. With a co-occurring disorder, it’s important to have integrated treatment that addresses both mental health and substance use in order to have the best chance at recovery.⁶

There are several types of behavioral therapy that may be used in addiction treatment:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
• Contingency Management (CM).
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
• Motivational Interviewing (MI).
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
• Family Therapy.
• Matrix Model.

American Addiction Centers (AAC) is proud to run a variety of treatment centers around the country. Each facility has unique programs and a setting that helps you focus fully on recovery.

Our centers include:

• Laguna Treatment Center (California)
• River Oaks Treatment Center (Florida)
• Recovery First Treatment Center (Florida)
• Greenhouse Treatment Center (Texas)
• Oxford Treatment Center (Mississippi)
• Desert Hope Treatment Center (Nevada)
• Adcare Hospital (Massachusetts)

To learn more about our treatment centers and find out if they accept your UnitedHealthcare plan, contact our admissions navigators anytime, 24/7. We’re here to help you connect to the care you need.

You might find that your UnitedHealthcare coverage only covers part of the cost of treatment or that the substance treatment center you’re interested in isn’t covered by UnitedHealthcare.

Don’t let these financial considerations hold you back. Instead, look at the many other ways to afford treatment.

If you are paying without insurance, you may be able to find a free rehab or a state-funded rehab or find programs that have scholarships available.

If you are paying for treatment with insurance but still have out-of-pocket costs, consider setting up a payment plan.

You deserve a happy, healthy life free of substance use. We’d love to help you take the first steps. Contact us today at .

1. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. (2020). Illinois facts.
2. UnitedHealthcare. (2023). Shop all UnitedHealthcare plans.
3. UnitedHealthcare. (2023). Choice plans.
4. Healthcare.gov. (n.d.). What Marketplace health insurance plans cover.
5. Findtreatment.gov (n.d.). Treatment options.
6. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, April). What are the treatments for comorbid substance use disorder and mental health conditions?