United Healthcare for Virginia Addiction Treatment

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that health insurance plans provide some level of coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health disorders, like addiction.³ With that in mind, UnitedHealthcare may partially or fully cover the cost of substance abuse rehab in Virginia.

UnitedHealthcare has plans that cover both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment. The type of treatment you need will depend on the recommendations of your doctor or another healthcare professional. The degree of your insurance coverage is dependent upon whether the provider is in-network or not, along with other factors. ⁴ 

UHC has different types of plans and coverage available to you. They have employer-sponsored plans, Medicaid and Medicare plans, and supplemental insurance.

The following are different types of UnitedHealthcare plans: ⁵

• UnitedHealthcare Choice: Members can choose from any provider in the network, including specialists, without a referral or selecting a primary care physician. There is no coverage outside the Choice network except in the case of an emergency.
• UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus: Members choose from any provider in the network, including specialists, without a referral or selection of a primary care physician. There is coverage outside the Choice Plus network, but members can expect a lower benefit level.
• UnitedHealthcare PPO: Members can use any doctor, clinic, hospital, or healthcare facility in the national network. However, utilizing outside networks saves you money.

Additional Types of Addiction Programs in Virginia Covered by UHC

UnitedHealthcare may cover additional types of addiction treatment programs in and around Virginia. As a part of its behavioral health benefits, UnitedHealthcare has thousands of preferred providers nationwide who are available to assist with your addiction treatment needs. ⁶

The following are types of benefits: ⁶ 

• Virtual visits for behavioral health care
• Employee assistance programs that are available for 24/7 referrals and support
• Virtual behavioral therapy and coaching (AbleTo)

What Types of Addiction Therapy Does UHC Cover in Virginia?

UnitedHealthcare in Virginia provides partial or complete coverage for several addiction therapies. Therapy can be provided in inpatient or outpatient settings.

Addiction therapy methods include the following:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): The goal of CBT is to reveal and change false and distressing beliefs, because it is often not only the things and situations themselves that cause problems but also the importance that we attach to them. ⁷ 
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): This is a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and co-occurring BPD and substance use disorder. ⁸ 
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): This is used in a wide variety of situations like phobias, test anxiety, dermatological disorders, and pain management. ⁹
• Motivational interviewing (MI): This is a technique that has been specifically developed to help motivate ambivalent patients to change their behavior. ¹⁰ 
• Family therapy: This type of therapy is based on the idea that a family is a system of different parts. A change in any part of the system will trigger changes in all the other parts. ¹¹ 
• Contingency management (CM): This is a type of behavioral therapy in which patients are “reinforced” or rewarded for positive behavioral changes. ¹²
• Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT): This type of therapy is a potentially important framework for the understanding and promotion of mental health in athletes. ¹³ 
• Matrix model: The program consists of relapse prevention groups, education groups, social support groups, individual counseling, and urine and breath testing delivered in a structured manner over a 16-week period. ¹⁴ 

Other Insurances That Cover Addiction Rehab

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Aetna
• Humana
• Kaiser Permanente
• Cigna
• Ambetter
• Veterans’ Insurance
• Rehab Insurance Coverage
• Rehab Without Insurance

Other Options to Pay for Addiction Treatment in Virginia

You can pay for addiction treatment in many different ways. This treatment can be paid for through private insurance such as UnitedHealthcare in Virginia, public insurance (Medicare or Medicaid), private pay, or by obtaining scholarships from addiction treatment rehabs. Addiction facilities might also offer some services for free or offer sliding scale fees. ¹⁵