Aviva is one of the longest standing providers of insurance and support on the market, having been active for over 320 years by their website’s admission (1).
Through their services, individuals and corporations can access cover for various different factors such as life, home, car, pensions/investments, and health insurance.
This article will focus on health insurance and specifically how it can be used in regard to addiction and the different services and treatments that may or may not be covered.
Primarily covering countries including the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, and Canada, Aviva offers a range of different plans and options for individuals to cover vital treatments and care within their rehabilitation journey.
Often, rehabilitation can be a lot for individuals to think about, so knowing that there is support is available can be a great way to feel more secure in treatment and make greater progress in the individual’s long-term addiction recovery.
Under a general healthcare plan, addiction treatment is not automatically covered. This is because addiction treatment is often a highly specialised form of care that is not typically required by the general public.
However, where it is needed, individuals will be able to upgrade their Aviva Healthcare Insurance plan to include the specific forms of support that they need.
Through Aviva’s mental health upgrade addon, individuals will be able to access addiction treatment that is covered by their health insurance plan.
This often means that individuals will be able to access addiction treatment much more quickly than individuals who do not have this cover, as alternatives such as the National Health Service (NHS) often come with lengthy waiting lists for less specific care.
The specific rehabs accepting Aviva Health insurance, rather frustratingly, keep changing, and so we’ve since decided not to list the specific rehabs that do, because this is subject to change.
Please contact our helpline on 0800 140 4690 for the full list of rehabs currently accepting payment via Aviva Health insurance.
Through this mental health addon mentioned above, individuals will be able to access support for addiction treatment specifically, but also for a range of other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Addiction is known to commonly co-occur with other mental health disorders and requires something known as dual diagnosis (2) in order to diagnose these issues and treat them accordingly.
Where individuals do opt for this mental health addon for health insurance, they will be treated for all their mental health issues while in residential rehabilitation, but the same cannot always be said for outpatient care i.e., part-time counselling or other treatments outside of a residential rehab centre.
Outpatient care is not the first choice of care recommended for individuals struggling with addiction, though it may be suitable in some cases. Speak to a medical professional today or get in touch with Rehab 4 Addiction to find out more.
In general, healthcare insurance, including Aviva Healthcare Insurance, is suitable for new or unexpected medical issues – not pre-existing conditions that have received previous diagnosis/attention/treatment.
Having a pre-existing condition such as addition before seeking Aviva Healthcare Insurance does not always mean that an individual will be denied for care, but it may mean that additional policies and/or procedures may need to be taken in account before beginning any form of cover and care.
Check your individual plan or with Aviva before making any assumptions about what may or may not be covered – you may be covered when you do not expect it, and you may not be covered when you do expect to be.
As mentioned previously in this article, it is possible for individuals to get covered by Aviva Health Insurance for inpatient addiction treatment i.e., treatment that takes place in a dedicated or specialised rehabilitation centre.
In all cases, an inpatient addiction rehabilitation programme must be greenlit by both Aviva and the individual’s pre-authorisation source (see next paragraph).
By these means, an individual will be able to access inpatient treatment options, often occurring within a 28-day stay within a rehabilitation centre in order to treat the individual both physically and mentally for their addiction.
As briefly mentioned above, an individual will need to gain a referral for pre-authorisation before beginning any form of addiction treatment that is covered by Aviva Health Insurance.
This indicates that an individual has reasonable means to partake in these forms of care and has been given the ‘go ahead’, often by the individual’s doctor or general practitioner (GP) from their local area.
As part of the referral process through the individual’s medical practitioner, they will often be asked questions about their substance use, the history of this, their current living situation, and any other factors that may influence what types of care will or will not be suitable for them.
During this process, it is essential that individuals are open and honest about their addiction and that they do not attempt to conceal any specific factors. This ensures that an individual receives the most suitable form of rehabilitation for them and their specific needs.
If the individual already has a healthcare insurance plan through Aviva, then they can check the specific details of this by contacting Aviva directly to check what is and what is not covered by their plan.
Every individual will have different needs and requirements for care, so ensuring that they have the right type of care for their unique situation is essential before entering any type of treatment.
Though the individual plans through Aviva Health Insurance are the most common, there are other options such as those received through corporate plans.
Corporate plans are dictated by companies that individuals may work for and therefore receive complimentary healthcare insurance through.
Through Aviva Health Insurance, these corporate plans automatically come with the mental health addon specifically, as well as explicitly covering the following areas of care:
For individuals who do not have access to Aviva Health Insurance, or other forms of health insurance, then there are other options available.
For example, the NHS does offer some forms of addiction support, though these are often on a far more outpatient basis i.e., part-time care outside of a residential rehab centre.
Though these may be beneficial in some cases, it is always recommended to take part in rehabilitation as part of an overall journey, often in one place over a set period of time rather than less regularly and with the risk of long waits and/or breaks between different treatments.
In addition, accessing NHS addiction treatments while continuing to reside at home may mean that individuals are far more liable to distractions – some of which may be related to how they developed their addiction in the first instance.
To learn more about addiction in general, its effects, and the best forms of treatment, get in touch with a member of Rehab 4 Addiction’s professional and non-judgemental team.
We offer free and confidential advice to any individual who needs it, whether they require addiction support for themselves or for others.
Contact our addiction support hotline on 0800 140 4690 today to discuss any issues and start your rehabilitation journey today.
[1] Aviva; About Us; https://www.aviva.co.uk/services/about-our-business/about-us/
[2] Ziedonis, D. and Brady, K., 1997. Dual diagnosis in primary care: detecting and treating both the addiction and mental illness. Medical Clinics of North America, 81(4), pp.1017-1036.
