Primarily functioning and marketing as a travel insurance company, GeoBlue also provides health insurance for a huge range of different treatment options (1) – including those relating to addiction.
By providing access to a range of different healthcare providers, online tools, and ‘exceptional customer service’, GeoBlue is a healthcare insurance provider for individuals all over the world.
This article will primarily focus on how GeoBlue can cover an individual through addiction rehabilitation and treatment, as well as the specifics of this form of care, why it is important, and how individuals who may benefit from this can access these services.
All healthcare insurance providers will have different stipulations and limitations on the types of care that can be accessed and covered by their services.
This is always something to check before initiating any type of rehabilitative care, no matter where the individual is in the world.
Through GeoBlue Health Insurance, individuals will have the option to cover addiction (also referred to as substance misuse/abuse) treatment and other mental health issues by adding additional medical benefits to their individual plan.
All cover, however, will be limited by the policy’s restrictions, as well as whether or not the individual’s provider of care is on GeoBlue’s list of approved and pre-authorised providers.
The specific rehabs accepting GeoBlue 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 GeoBlue Health insurance.
Addiction/substance abuse is considered to be a mental health issue, so although all addictions are mental health issues, not all mental health issues include addiction as a symptom.
Through most healthcare insurance providers, however, addiction is generally considered to fall under the category of mental health cover rather than being its own type of additional cover.
Most plans will also not cover mental health as part of their standard plans, meaning that individuals will have to ensure that this is something that they enquire about or make known to GeoBlue should it be something that they are requiring for their care.
In addition, when the individual enters rehabilitative care, this should also have been pre-authorised to ensure that the individual’s specific provider includes mental health treatment (known as a dual diagnosis approach) as a part of their overall care; this is an essential part of rehabilitation and making an effective recovery (2).
Depending on the type of cover/plan that the individual opts for, as well as a number of other factors at GeoBlue’s discretion, below follows some of the most common treatments that an individual will be able to access:
As GeoBlue is an international company, the process of entering rehabilitative care that is covered by their services can vary from region to region.
This is why it is always recommended that individuals are sure of the recovery process that they are going through and what is included within this.
Further information on the application/approval process is covered at the end of this article.
Every individual will require something different of their unique GeoBlue Health Insurance Plan, meaning that there will be different limits, caps, and other factors that influence what or what is not covered.
In general, GeoBlue allocates cover annually, meaning that individuals will have a set amount of cover that they can access for their care every year.
However, this will differ again depending on individual plans so it is essential that individuals who are covered by GeoBlue or those who are considering being covered by GeoBlue in the future are aware of their options and limitations for addiction treatment specifically.
Again, as GeoBlue is an international provider of insurance, individuals will be able to access treatment within the area/region of their specific policy.
Additional areas and regions may be added to an individual’s plan, but this is very much dependent on what type of care the individual requires access to and whether it is worth applying for cover in multiple areas or whether to restrict this to one region.
In addition, the type of support that an individual requires may be covered in one region but not in another, purely dependent on GeoBlue’s approved providers in that area, for example.
Through GeoBlue’s directory, individuals will be able to view and learn more about the range of providers that are pre-authorised by GeoBlue themselves.
This is often a good place to start when looking at cover by GeoBlue, but the following heading covers the first stages of seeking support through GeoBlue in further detail.
Below follow some key stages to getting covered by GeoBlue, as well as how to check policies and begin your rehabilitation journey today:
Please note that the above stages do not follow a particular order and not all may be suitable for or applicable to every individual case.
For further information and advice on all things addiction, as well as what to do when healthcare insurance may not cover your and your specific needs, get in touch with Rehab 4 Addiction today.
We are a specialised referral service who offer free and confidential advice, including the best healthcare insurance providers for you and your specific needs.
Speak to a member of our friendly and professional team today on 0800 140 4690.
[1] GeoBlue Travel Insurance; https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/
[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.
