The Impact of Substance Abuse on the Medicare Program
The baby boomer generation started retiring in 2010. That's because studies show that 1 in 10 seniors entering Medicare is a heavy drinker.
€Experts indicate that alcoholism usually begins in a person's twenties,€ suggests Alan Weinstock, an insurance broker at MedicareSupplementPlans.com. €By the time they reach their sixties, patterns have formed. That makes it even more difficult to kick the habit.€
Becoming Addicted
When people first think of addiction, they usually think of drugs and alcohol. However, a person can become addicted to most anything that they use repeatedly and have a difficult time giving up. That includes coffee, sugar, cigarettes, running, gambling, sex, food, shopping and more.
Look up the term €addiction€ in the online dictionary and it reads: €the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.€
In the case of substance abuse, it is a medical condition with medical solutions. It requires long-term recovery and a commitment to making healthy decisions and taking the right actions.
The Impact of Abuse on Medicare
Medicare pays for a number of services for people with substance abuse problems, including inpatient treatment and clinic care. Unfortunately, the government doesn't track substance abuse cases or seniors who get help for these types of problems; therefore, there are no records that indicate how much Medicare actually spends on addiction-related care.
Even though actual figures are not available, rough estimates put the figure at around one percent of all Medicare inpatient hospital care. That means that in 2008 roughly $1 billion of the $109 billion spent that year was on alcohol-related diagnoses.
Naturally, there are a lot of other medical issues €" like psoriasis of the liver and gastrointestinal bleeding €" related to the disease, so this figure is likely understated. Plus many of the Medicare beneficiaries who have alcohol problems also have issues with other substances such as cocaine.
Federal researchers estimate that by the year 2020 there will be over 4.5 million senior substance abusers. There were only 1.7 million in 2001.
Substance Abuse and Medigap Insurance
Medicare covers substance abuse treatment. In addition, it will cover family therapy that focuses on the Medicare beneficiary, occupational therapy as part of mental health treatment and visits to a professional counselor or psychologist. It will also cover prescription medication that cannot be self-administered.
However, Medicare does not cover all of the cost of outpatient mental health services. It pays 80% of the initial visit to a mental health provider and then half of the Medicare-approved amount after that. A Medigap policy (insurance you buy to fill gaps in Medicare) will cover the remaining 50 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for outpatient mental health services.
€Experts indicate that alcoholism usually begins in a person's twenties,€ suggests Alan Weinstock, an insurance broker at MedicareSupplementPlans.com. €By the time they reach their sixties, patterns have formed. That makes it even more difficult to kick the habit.€
Becoming Addicted
When people first think of addiction, they usually think of drugs and alcohol. However, a person can become addicted to most anything that they use repeatedly and have a difficult time giving up. That includes coffee, sugar, cigarettes, running, gambling, sex, food, shopping and more.
Look up the term €addiction€ in the online dictionary and it reads: €the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.€
In the case of substance abuse, it is a medical condition with medical solutions. It requires long-term recovery and a commitment to making healthy decisions and taking the right actions.
The Impact of Abuse on Medicare
Medicare pays for a number of services for people with substance abuse problems, including inpatient treatment and clinic care. Unfortunately, the government doesn't track substance abuse cases or seniors who get help for these types of problems; therefore, there are no records that indicate how much Medicare actually spends on addiction-related care.
Even though actual figures are not available, rough estimates put the figure at around one percent of all Medicare inpatient hospital care. That means that in 2008 roughly $1 billion of the $109 billion spent that year was on alcohol-related diagnoses.
Naturally, there are a lot of other medical issues €" like psoriasis of the liver and gastrointestinal bleeding €" related to the disease, so this figure is likely understated. Plus many of the Medicare beneficiaries who have alcohol problems also have issues with other substances such as cocaine.
Federal researchers estimate that by the year 2020 there will be over 4.5 million senior substance abusers. There were only 1.7 million in 2001.
Substance Abuse and Medigap Insurance
Medicare covers substance abuse treatment. In addition, it will cover family therapy that focuses on the Medicare beneficiary, occupational therapy as part of mental health treatment and visits to a professional counselor or psychologist. It will also cover prescription medication that cannot be self-administered.
However, Medicare does not cover all of the cost of outpatient mental health services. It pays 80% of the initial visit to a mental health provider and then half of the Medicare-approved amount after that. A Medigap policy (insurance you buy to fill gaps in Medicare) will cover the remaining 50 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for outpatient mental health services.
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