In general, the diagnosis of addiction and the success of previous attempts at treatment determine whether treatment will be covered, not the specific substance of abuse. The only time this information comes into play is in determining what services will be approved for treatment. Addiction to certain substances results in coverage for different services.For addiction to marijuana, it will likely be difficult to cover the cost of medical detox because the withdrawal symptoms mostly will be psychological in nature. Initially, outpatient treatment may be approved, but long-term care will require continued proof of medical need.For people who struggle with alcohol addiction, detox from alcohol can be deadly. Inpatient medical detox is required, so it is a simple process to get coverage. Coverage for treatment following detox will likely be based on the findings of doctors who monitored the alcohol detox.Though prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines, opioid pain relievers, and stimulant drugs are prescribed for legitimate medical needs, they can quickly become the source of a new and deadly problem.Medical detox for benzodiazepine addiction, for example, will likely be covered if dependence is identified because withdrawal can be deadly if attempted without medical supervision. Though painkiller detox is not life-threatening, it is known to cause significant medical and psychological issues. Coverage for outpatient medications like methadone and buprenorphine is relatively simple to access.In all cases, outpatient treatment will be recommended. Inpatient treatment will likely only be approved if there have been multiple failed attempts at outpatient treatment.Cocaine and crystal meth are lethal drugs. They continue to be common drugs of choice among people seeking treatment for addiction. Unless there is a serious co-occurring mental health disorder, medical detox is rarely covered. Outpatient care will likely be covered, and inpatient treatment may need to be proven necessary.Synthetic cannabinoids such as K2 and Spice and synthetic stimulants such as bath salts are treated much like stimulant drugs by insurance companies. There are physical withdrawal symptoms associated with detox and risk of psychosis, but if these are not severe and demonstrated to the satisfaction of the insurance company, inpatient care may not be covered.Addiction to heroin, despite the significant physical withdrawal symptoms, does not mean one is automatically qualified for insurance coverage for treatment. Medical detox will be covered but may be offered in the form of outpatient methadone treatment or buprenorphine, depending on the addiction dose of heroin.If outpatient detox methods are approved, it will be difficult to get coverage for inpatient addiction treatment. Even if inpatient medical detox is covered, it does not guarantee coverage for inpatient drug rehab.