Drug and alcohol addictions can destroy a person’s quality of life, wreck families, and damage communities beyond repair. Unfortunately, many individuals with addictions are reluctant to get the help they need. Many addicts and alcoholics struggle for years trying to control and manage their substance abuse habits on their own, generally with little success. Substance use disorders can be managed, however. These chronic conditions can be handled when an individual enrolls in a quality addiction treatment program. If you or your addicted loved one is covered by a Coastwise health insurance plan, your health insurance plan covers a wide variety of addiction treatment programs.

Coastwise Insurance

Coastwise is a type of health insurance plan that is available to individuals who are insured through ILWU-PMA. ILWU stands for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. PMA stands for the Pacific Maritime Association. Together, these two unions and associations offer many benefits to workers, including world-class health insurance coverage. Industry registrants who meet the criteria are entitled to employer-paid health care. Coverage often extends to retirees and their families.

Coastwise and the BCBS Network

In California, the ILWU-PMA offers the Coastwise Indemnity Plan. The Coastwise Indemnity Plan makes use of the Blue Cross Blue Shield network of service providers, one of the world’s largest networks of healthcare providers. This means that individuals who are covered through Coastwise have countless options for addiction treatment from which to choose.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, often shortened to BCBS, is not one single insurance company. In fact, it is actually a federation of 36 different health insurance companies that serve clients in the United States. Working together as BCBS, these companies form an enormous network of service providers. Blue Cross has been around since 1929, and Blue Shield has been around since 1939. Today, they provide health insurance plans to over 106 million people. They also sometimes operate independently. Technically, both Clue Shield and Blue Cross are licensees. In effect, this means they can operate independently of each other and provide insurance coverage through a variety of subsidiary companies.

Affiliated companies that work with BlueCross BlueShield include:

• Anthem Insurance
• Anthem BlueCross and BlueShield
• Blue Shield of California
• Cambia Health Solutions
• Highmark
• Health Care Service Corporation
• CareFirst
• Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Anthem Blue Cross

Substance Abuse Treatment with Coastwise Health Insurance

The Coastwise Indemnity Plan offers broad coverage for alcohol and drug treatment. As a recognized health insurance provider, BlueCross BlueShield insurance is accepted at many treatment facilities and rehabs in California. Its coverage is especially comprehensive at treatment centers that work with BCBS, which is Coastwise’s approved network. These treatment centers include NuView Treatment Center.

Coastwise recognizes that addiction treatment is often a long-term process that necessitates a broad spectrum of treatment modalities and therapeutic techniques. While the exact type of coverage a person received from Coastwise depends upon the details of their specific health insurance plan and their state of residence, Coastwise is in most cases willing to fund a significant portion of most evidence-based treatment programs. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Evaluations
• Drug testing and drug screening
• Medical detox centers
• Inpatient rehabs
• Outpatient rehabs
• Individual and group therapy
• Aftercare planning
• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

Outpatient Addiction Treatment with Coastwise

Coastwise plans ensure that policyholders can take full advantage of BCBS’s broad network of outpatient rehabs. Health insurance plans like Coastwise tend to offer especially excellent coverage for outpatient rehabs. This is because outpatient rehabs are widely recognized as both highly affordable and highly effective. They are different from residential treatment centers because they provide clients with the freedom to engage in addiction treatment without requiring that they live on-site at the treatment center. This guarantees that the process of addiction recovery will be more affordable since there is no need for Coastwise to cover the cost of a bed.

Outpatient rehabs also offer many advantages to clients. These are flexible programs that do not necessarily require a full-time commitment. This makes them extremely appealing to individuals who are working jobs or supporting families. These so-called “high functioning” addicts may find it difficult to enroll in a full-time inpatient treatment program, but there is no denying that they require addiction treatment. Outpatient care fills that need. Outpatient care is not just suitable for high-functioning addicts, however. It also allows clients who are seriously struggling to rebuild their lives and get the essential support they need.

Outpatient programs covered by Coastwise cover a range of levels of care. These levels of care are meant to address the unique needs of people experiencing substance use disorders at different levels of severity. Moreover, many clients transition from more acute to less acute levels of care as they develop firmer foundations in recovery. Research shows that this type of long-term addiction treatment significantly reduces clients’ chances of relapsing even years after graduating from an outpatient program. Coastwise is often willing to pay for coverage for the length of time an individual needs to make a solid recovery.

Outpatient levels of care covered by Coastwise Indemnity include:

• Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs)
• Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs)
• Outpatient programs (OPs)
• Aftercare planning

These outpatient treatment programs work with clients to help them achieve recovery from drug and alcohol use disorders using a broad range of different treatment modalities. Individual and group therapy, including dialectical behavioral therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), are used to help clients address underlying issues that may be motivating their substance abuse in the first place. At the same time, clients work every day to build new coping skills and tools to deal with potential triggers and avert relapse. Simultaneously, they develop life skills and take tangible steps toward building new futures for themselves.

Coastwise and the Affordable Care Act

Since the passing of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies like Coastwise have had to alter the way they cover addiction treatment. One of the most critical changes that the Affordable Care Act has led to is that substance use disorder treatment is now legally recognized as an “essential health benefit.” In effect, this ensures that all health insurance companies are legally obligated to provide benefits about addiction treatment to all of their policyholders. While the specifics of such benefits are different from plan to plan, all clients can safely expect some degree of coverage.

The ACA, as the Affordable Care Act is often known, has also guaranteed that no health insurance company can deny a person coverage just because they have a substance use disorder. In the past, it was the norm for health insurance companies to deny coverage to individuals who already suffered from potentially costly health conditions like drug or alcohol use disorders. The ACA has stated that substance use disorders can no longer be classified by health insurers as “pre-existing conditions,” which means that all US citizens, no matter how serious their addiction, can get access to an employer-sponsored health insurance plan through Coastwise.

Mental Health Coverage with Coastwise

Coastwise has extensive coverage for mental health-related issues. In fact, the Affordable Care Act not only makes substance abuse treatment an essential benefit, but it also guarantees that mental health treatment will be covered by all health insurance plans. Coastwise Indemnity has access to a particularly large network of rehabs through the BCBS network that not only treat mental health conditions but also offer support for dual diagnosis patients who suffer from addiction as well.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 50% of people who suffer from mental health conditions suffer from addiction as well. The reverse is true of people who suffer from addiction. As two mutually reinforcing health conditions, addiction and mental illness must be treated together for treatment to be effective. In the absence of comprehensive treatment, one condition will likely lead to a relapse of the other. As such, Coastwise offers coverage for outpatient rehabs that offer integrated treatment, a type of treatment for dual diagnosis patients that combines multiple therapeutic modalities to tackle substance use disorders and mental health disorders simultaneously.

How Long Will BlueCross BlueShield Cover Outpatient Rehab?

In most cases, addiction treatment is a long-term process. Not only do individuals in addiction treatment need to physically withdraw from drugs and alcohol, but most need to spend time developing new skills and habits to avert the potential for relapse, rebuild their lives, and secure healthier and happier futures. For most people, this is a lifelong process, one that is best facilitated by engaging in supportive treatment programs for extended periods of time.

Coastwise understands that covering long-term addiction treatment is in their best interests financially — since relapses can be expensive for health insurance providers. As such, they generally are amenable to covering policyholders for as long as they require. The exact length of time for which Coastwise will cover treatment, however, tends to vary depending on the individual’s specific health care plan. Coastwise also evaluates the specific behavioral health needs of each policyholder to determine what length of treatment will be most beneficial to them.

However, as a health insurance provider, Coastwise promises to take into account the advice and recommendations of the rehabs in their provider network. If an outpatient treatment center recommends that a client needs to spend additional time in treatment, Coastwise is often willing to negotiate and be flexible.

What Does Coastwise Cover For Me?

Figuring out what type of addiction treatment your health insurance plan offers can be difficult. In some cases, even after speaking to your Coastwise representative, the finer details of your specific insurance plan can be puzzling. For those who require treatment, however, questions about payment or insurance should be set aside so that they can focus on the most pressing issue: actually pursuing addiction recovery and treatment.

NuView Treatment Center is available at all times to assist individuals in determining their addiction treatment coverage levels with their health insurance plan. Instead of trying to figure out your level of coverage yourself, we invite you to contact us at (323) 307-7997. After a basic evaluation, we will work as your advocate to determine what services are right for you. Even if NuView Treatment Center is not the right fit for you at this time, we will nonetheless help connect you with a treatment program that is suitable for your specific needs.

Addiction Treatment at NuView Treatment Center

NuView Treatment Center is an outpatient treatment center located in West Los Angeles. In our modern facility, we offer quality evidence-based treatment programs and a highly educated and committed staff. It is our stated goal to ensure that individuals from all backgrounds have the chance to recover from the devastating effects of substance use disorders and mental health conditions. NuView Treatment Center has a longstanding relationship with Coastwise Indemnity, and we are also in-network with most major health insurance plans.

At NuVew Treatment Center, our staff members prioritize compassion above all else. We believe that addiction treatment should never be one-size-fits-all. Instead, caseworkers and our masters-level clinicians spend time designing individualized treatment plans for every client who walks through our doors. Our philosophy is that addiction recovery goes well beyond mere physical abstinence. We work with clients to help them address their underlying issues, develop new coping skills, and rebuild new lives for themselves in sobriety.

Our in-network outpatient rehab programs provide coverage to all levels of care, from partial hospitalization programs to aftercare planning. Whether you are covered by Coastwise or another health insurance plan, recovery is only a phone call away. If you are ready to change your life and escape the vicious cycle of substance addiction, reach out to NuView Treatment Center today.