Alcohol & Drug Rehabs in Ontario, California

Low-Cost and Free Drug Rehab Centers in Ontario

Low-cost and free drug rehabs in Ontario are financed through state funding programs and federal grants such as the block grants provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These funds typically provide scholarships for care, for example, and sliding fee scales for those without insurance.

According to SAMHSA, there are 56 rehabs near (within 25 miles of) Ontario that accept state insurance other than Medicare or Medicaid, as well as SAMHSA block grants to facilitate low-cost treatment.³

Medicare and Medicaid

Offered by state agencies to provide medical coverage to those who can’t afford or don’t qualify for private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid can cover care services.⁴ These services include individual and group therapy, medications, and therapist appointments. Medicare may help pay for inpatient stays, though patients are responsible for a copay and deductible.

Both programs have different qualifications. Medicaid requires your income to be at or below federal poverty standards unless there’s a young child or pregnant woman in the house, in which case your income can be slightly higher (133% of federal poverty standards). Medicare is for people over the age of 65 or who have a disability.

Does Private Insurance Cover Rehab Center Costs?

Yes, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Mental Health Equity and Addiction Parity Act (MHPAEA), as well as California’s SB 855 regulations, private insurance companies must pay for medically necessary treatments, which substance use disorder (SUD) is now classified as.

Every private insurance policy is slightly different than the next. To find out exactly what your policy covers, to what extent your financial responsibility would be in terms of copayments and deductibles, and get referrals to nearby clinics in your network, call the number on the back of your insurance card.

SB 855 Substance Use Health Insurance Coverage Law: The SB 855 law makes it a crime for health insurance companies to refuse to pay for a medically necessary mental health or substance use service.⁷ This was enacted to cut down on discriminatory practices that used to exclude certain patients from accessing substance use treatment.

Drug Treatment Diversion Initiative Proposition 36: Proposition 36, passed in 2000, helps prevent jail overcrowding by giving low-level drug-related crime participants the option to attend care instead of going to jail.⁸ The conditions of the program include participants agreeing to probation instead of jail time, with required rehab services being a condition of that probationary period.

Good Samaritan Overdose Law: In California, as well as most states, if a person reaches out for help for someone overdosing from emergency services, they are granted some immunity from prosecution for certain crimes, such as possession.⁹ This law does not protect you from persecution if you have more than enough drugs and paraphernalia for personal use and are found to be distributing.

California Employment Protection Act: Modeled after the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the California Employment Protection Act provides a state-level layer of security to people in need of time away from work to seek medical treatment. This law provides for 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave when faced with a crisis such as the need for substance use rehab. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees that request time off for a medical condition.