Addiction Treatment Barriers
There is a marked discrepancy between the number of people who need addiction treatment in the United States and those who actually receive it. This article will discuss the most common barriers to treatment and how they may be addressed and overcome.
What Are The Most Common Barriers to Addiction Treatment?
Barriers to finding addiction treatment may vary by personal situation, but the most common barriers include:
- Financial/Cost
- Geographic Location
- Stigma
- Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment Availability
In 2023, about 54.2 million people age 12 and older, or 19.1% in this age group, needed substance use treatment. However, of these people, only 23.6% got the help they needed.1
People go untreated for many reasons. They may be reluctant to seek treatment because they hold certain beliefs about it, or they may not have insurance to cover the costs. Or they may live in an area where treatment isn’t available.
Whatever the case may be, there are changes occurring on several fronts that can make treatment more accessible for more people. Changes in insurance coverage may open the door for increasing numbers of people to get the treatment they need. Innovations, such as teleheath, allow people in secluded areas to connect with providers without having to travel long distances. Additionally, alternative options to treatment—such as 12-Step groups and other self-help programs—are free and widely available.
Even though many barriers remain, some encouraging signs point to treatment becoming more within reach for populations who have struggled to find recovery help in the past.
Financial Barriers
Financial limitations are one of the major barriers that prevent people from receiving treatment.
Insurance can help cover the cost of substance use treatment, but many people remain uninsured due to:4
- The high cost of insurance.
- The loss of a job.
- Losing Medicaid.
- Lack of insurance through an employer.
- Change in family status.
- Believing that they don’t need coverage.
In 2022, 25.6 million people ages 0–64 did not have health insurance. 73.3% of them were in a household with one or more full-time workers.4
If you are unemployed and had health insurance through your previous employer, you may be able to enroll in COBRA. COBRA is a federal law that was passed in 1985, providing continuous health insurance coverage to those that are unemployed.
COBRA can enable the continuation of your health insurance coverage for you and your family. Through COBRA addiction treatment my also be covered.
Even people with insurance may run into problems when they try to get treatment because plans do not always cover medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction. And while Medicaid covers medications for substance use disorders; however, many states impose limitations and requirements on it that make it more difficult to receive—though this may be changing (see “How to Overcome These Obstacles” section below).5
Geographic Limitations
A large portion of the rehab programs in the United States are concentrated in states with high populations. In 2020:8
- California had 2,350 treatment facilities.
- New York had 1,057 facilities.
- Florida had 939 facilities.
- Illinois had 891 facilities.
Conversely, states with low populations tend to have fewer facilities, and many of these states are quite large geographically—which means facilities are more spread out and harder to access for people in rural areas. In 2016:8
- Vermont had 61 treatment facilities.
- Wyoming had 5874 facilities.
- Montana had 162 facilities.
Other Challenges & Hurdles to Getting Help for Addiction
In addition to the issues outlined above, there are a number of other reasons why people have a hard time getting help for an addiction.
How to Overcome These Treatment Obstacles
Overcoming the barriers presented above is challenging because they occur on a number of levels: structural, systemic, personal, societal, and socioeconomic.
That said, there are some potential solutions to help more people get help for their addictions and begin to live more fulfilling lives.
Get Help Today
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please reach out to American Addiction Centers (AAC). We operate several facilities across the United States that offer multiple levels of care and specialized treatment programs for specific demographics.
Our compassionate admissions navigators can verify your insurance, answer your questions, and help you start treatment today.
American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
While we are unable to respond to your feedback directly, we'll use this information to improve our online help.
