Skip to main content

How can we pay for our teens treatment?

By Stephen C. Schultz

As a partner in a residential treatment program, I often have conversations with clinicians, educational consultants, school district administration teams and parents about the much needed services of residential treatment. The one question that is always discussed, but usually is also the last one asked is;  “How Much Does it Cost?”


There is no question that privately funding treatment for your son or daughter can be an additional stress on the family above and beyond the struggles of your teen. For this reason, I have put together, in one place, some of the ideas and resources that parents have used to assist in funding treatment for their teen. Often it takes some creativity and persistence, but many families have been able to accomplish what seems impossible in the beginning. Families usually end up using a few of the options listed below. I hope you find this helpful.
Here are a few quick suggestions:
  • TREATMENT LENDERS - There are finance companies that specialize in the funding of mental health and substance abuse treatment. One such lender that has worked with treatment programs is Prosper Healthcare Lending. National and International treatment providers such as Discovery Academy, Discovery Ranch, Redcliff ascent, Oxbow Academy and Discovery Ranch for Girls have all been funded through Prosper Healthcare Lending.
  • CREDIT OR PERSONAL LOAN - Talk with your financial institution, perhaps you have enough room on a credit card, or you could take a personal loan.
  • HOME EQUITY LOAN -  If you own your own home, you may be able to take out a home equity loan. Interest rates vary, but are generally low.
  • DONATIONS - You may be surprised at who in your family or circle of friends would be willing and honored to help you. We had a father who was a fireman. He spoke to the fire chief who sent a letter through a national firefighters association. Firemen from across the country donated to assist this father's son in getting help.
  • BORROWING FROM LOVED ONES - Consider all of the people in your life that love your son or daughter. Grandparents, step-parents,  aunts, uncles, siblings and Godparents to name a few. All can be approached. Brainstorm the people who could help you financially and make a list. Then strategize a tactful and sensitive way to approach them. You may be surprised at their willingness to help.  It could be a gift, or it could be a loan, with set guidelines for re-payments.
  • CHURCH OR SYNAGOGUE  - There have been situations where the family has been in consultation with their Church or Synagogue and have worked out financial arrangements through that avenue.
  • USE OF COLLEGE FUNDS - If your son or daughter is involved in illegal or physically risky behavior behavior, it may be in their best interest for you to use any college savings for treatment. First things first!
  • SALE OF RECREATIONAL/PERSONAL PROPERTY - Do you have something that you can sell, like a boat, or motorcycle, a car, cabin at the lake or jewelry? Do you have stocks, bonds or a timeshare?
  • HEALTH INSURANCE - With the current benefits required by The Affordable Care Act, more and more insurance companies are covering mental health and substance abuse care. There is actually a new Billing Code for Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare or otherwise known as Wilderness Treatment Programs. However, parents do need to know that even though benefits are often cited by their insurance carrier, the amounts paid out, number of covered days, copayment amounts and choices for “In Network” treatment are often very limited. If parental choice in a treatment partner is important to you, then a combination of the above listed efforts will result in the most cost effective and productive placement for your teen. Recognizing that you will have the most involvement and “personal say” in your teens treatment through choosing an “Out of Network” provider will be important in identifying a clinical partner that specializes in your teens very personal and specific care. By using an “Out of Network” provider, insurance reimbursement can be  fifty percent and sometimes as high as eighty percent depending on the plan. This also allows you, the parents, to choose the most appropriate place for your teen and not be subjected to “Panel Providers” who are “In Network” at a discounted rate with predetermined lengths of stay and limited outpatient visits. If parent choice and more personal involvement are important to you, then an “Out of Network” provider may be the best option.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons I learned from a childhood experience with bullying

By Stephen C. Schultz The dew around the window was starting to bead up. In a classic case of chaos theory, the little beads of water gave way to gravity and randomly bounced and bumped their way to the window sill like a steal marble in a pinball game. There was a small pool of water in the cracked and peeling beige paint. I sat facing the window, staring at the small engraved stone nestled in the flower beds. There weren’t many flowers at this time of year. Mostly rhododendrons and Oregon grapes reaching skyward from the damp bark mulch that covered the planter area.   The month of January in Eugene Oregon was filled with days and days of mist and fog.   In fact, pretty much from October through June was filled with fog, rain, mist, showers, freezing rain and occasionally snow. The local weathermen didn’t bother with predictions about the chance of precipitation; they took pride in developing new adjectives to describe the type of precipitation and how much you can expect.
10 comments
Read more

Perfectly Wicked - A new take on an old fairy tale!

Guest Blogger Amanda Schultz Age 15 There she was…hair as black as night, lips as red as blood, skin as white as snow. Standing by the window, washing dishes, whistling while she worked. Snow White. I shudder with disgust every time I hear her name. What kind of a name is that anyway? “Snow White”. Gahhh, it’s a name that practically begs to be made fun of. Yet, there she goes, frolicking around like she owns the Enchanted Forest. No. I’m the Queen. I’m in charge. My magic mirror was mistaken. I’m the Fairest of them all, not that sorry excuse for a princess. One bite from my poison apple and that air-head will be so ugly not even her mother could love her. And I will be the Fairest once again! I suppose that I should rewind a little bit. It wasn’t always a competition between Snow White and me. In fact, back in the day, we had a nice little system going on. I would rule the kingdom and practice my magic, while Snow did the dishes and tended the garden. She stayed out of my w
11 comments
Read more

"Sugar and Spice" - A Child's Kindness

By Stephen C. Schultz I recall a childhood rhyme that went something like this; “…sugar and spice and everything nice…that’s what little girls are made of!” As the father of three daughters and one son, there is no doubt about the truthfulness of that saying. I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago with my family. We were down at Seaport Village right on the bay having lunch. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, light breeze and we were eating on an outside deck. We were engaged in a conversation about what we wanted to do later that day when I noticed my youngest daughter, a fifth grader, was focused on something else. So, I turned to see what she was gazing at. She was following the movements of a transient man who had walked up onto the deck and was systematically searching the garbage cans for food. He was looking in each receptacle and reaching in to move the contents around. At one can, his hand came out with a partially eaten sandwich of some kind. He reached back
9 comments
Read more