Most insurance policies will cover the cost of weekly hour-long therapy sessions with a therapist that is within their network. They will not cover the cost of an expert in addiction treatment if they are out of network. They will also not pay for any therapies or interventions that are not proven to be medically necessary even if there are signs that they could be helpful in preventing future problems.Medical detox is one of the easiest things to get covered by insurance because it is often identifiably necessary. The withdrawal symptoms that come automatically with the cessation of certain drugs of abuse indicate that there is an immediate need for medical supervision and, in some cases, medication.Beyond medical detox, which may be covered on an inpatient or outpatient basis depending on the co-occurring mental and medical health issues, outpatient addiction treatment services are often relatively easy to get covered by insurance.It is the least expensive treatment because it does not include the cost of room and board, and it also provides for a reassessment of need every 30 days. Often, the program provides a step-down process that begins with a more intensive treatment schedule and tapers down, month by month, until clients can sustain themselves in recovery with a few therapeutic check-ins per week.Inpatient care that lasts 30 days is the standard despite also being the bare minimum of what experts deem to be effective. If the individual has not already undergone an outpatient treatment program or been unsuccessful in other combinations of outpatient treatment, then insurance will likely push back and require medical documentation of need.Just as it is often necessary to prove that outpatient treatment will not be effective before coverage for short-term care is provided, it will also be necessary to prove that long-term care is needed, often month by month as it becomes clear that the individual needs more time in comprehensive addiction treatment.Some level of aftercare services may be simple to cover if it is medically recommended. In most cases, a regular therapist will be approved by insurance as will the continuation of medication use that began during treatment.Coverage for experiential treatment, alternative therapies, or holistic treatments like acupuncture will likely not be covered, or they will come with a steep copay even if they were effective during drug rehab.