Insurance and Suboxone Treatment
 

First of all, I live in Minnesota and have Medical Assistance. I am going to start a suboxone program tomorrow, I have had enough of this crazy sick/using/withdrawal roller coaster. My husband has been on subs for about a month now and I tried some today and they are amazing! No withdrawal, no cravings, no high, no emotional mess.

I found a few drs through the suboxone website and naabt.com. I called a few places and the costs where nearly identical and the one place that says they will give me the info to submit my costs to my insurance told me that my states medical assistance programs (there are a few different ones in MN) will not pay for office visits for suboxone treatment but they will pay for the prescription.

My mother is going to pay the $300 for the first visit but with the new ACA laws it seems like my insurance HAS TO pay for the visit. Anyone here have any experience. I am so excited to finally get my life back in order but I am unsure I can keep up with $300 a month in dr costs. Any advice would be much appreciated.

how much
 

how much would you guess you were spending on your addiction problem monthly?

congratulations, by the way, this is a bold first step! you can do it!

It seems pretty standard for sub doctors to not take insurance. Not sure what that is (actually i do, but that's not the point) but your insurance should definitely cover the rx. There is also a coupon on the suboxone website that will cover the copay so the rx ends up free. I know that MN is not AL, but $300/month seems really high. Most doctors here charge $100/month

Cleaninalabama, you pay the same as I do. Most private sub doctors here in NY charge $100 per monthly visit. The initial, induction, charge was $300 but each subsequent visit only $100. Then insurance picks up the RX charge+copay coupon= $0 for the script after the insurance deductible is met.

So basically, I'm paying $100 per month to be out from under active addiction which cost me approximately $2000 per month + my health +my sanity + my family + my job + my freedom + my self-respect + my life. I'd say being on sub is pretty cheap compared to life in active addiction. :)

Every appointment has been the same for me-$100 the first month and $100 every other month.

It's fairly standard for many suboxone doctors to not accept insurance. Many of the private doctors in my area charge cash for office visits. Insurance then generally covers the cost of the prescription with a minimal co-pay. There are a few public clinics that offer suboxone treatment in my area that do accept insurance, but they generally have very long waiting lists, ranging from 1 month to 6 months+. These public clinics can only accept a certain number of patients by law. I'm fairly sure that the same rings true for private doctors and psychiatrists, but they're more lenient as the appointments tend to be very expensive. When I was on suboxone, my initial appointment to see the doctor cost $250, and it was $150 a month every month thereafter. The prescription was fortunately covered by insurance with a small co-pay and for that I am grateful.

I would look at it this way - how much are you spending on your DOC each week/month? I'm sure $300 is minimal compared to the amount you're spending on drugs. $300 to get better is very reasonable, in my opinion, especially since your mother is willing to help cover the costs.

Best of luck!