Top 4 Rehab Centers That Accept Green Mountain Care (Vermont Medicaid)

As of 2020, there are at least 61 and possibly over 80 drug rehab centers in Vermont that offer drug and alcohol treatment.

These recovery centers give patients a variety of ways to pay for treatment, from self-payment to Medicare to private insurance. Still, helping a person heal from drug addiction can be a long process, and treatment can last for months.

This can prove to be too expensive for many patients. Fortunately, Medicaid was set up to pay for addiction treatment for people with low or very low income.

Vermont Medicaid Insurance Coverage For Drug And Alcohol Addiction Treatment

One type of Vermont Medicaid is called Green Mountain Care. Dr. Dynasaur is the Medicaid program for children and pregnant women. There’s also a Medicaid program for long-term care.

Vermont uses a hub and spoke model when treating patients who are addicted to opioids and are being treated through medication-assisted treatment.

In this system, each patient has a medical home, one prescriber for medications such as buprenorphine or methadone, a single pharmacy home, and access to community health teams and health professionals.

Medicaid was expanded in Vermont under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2013. Medicaid insurance plan members don’t have copays if they are in a long-term care center, if they are under 21, or if they are pregnant or 60 days postpartum. There is a small copayment for prescription drugs.

Drug addiction treatment programs are operated by Vermont’s Division of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs, or ADAP.

Addiction and mental health services are subject to the same rules that apply to services given for physical health complaints. This came into effect through Vermont Medicaid because of the Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

Drug And Alcohol Rehab Programs Often Covered By Vermont Medicaid

The addiction services that receive insurance coverage through Green Mountain Care health insurance plans will vary by individual need.

However, the following treatment approaches are commonly covered by Vermont Medicaid:

• motivational interviewing
• case management
• intensive case management
• brief interventions
• drug screening
• medication-assisted detoxification
• treatment for patients with dual diagnosis
• behavioral health services
• outpatient treatment
• intensive outpatient treatment
• continuing care or aftercare
• mental health treatment
• discharge planning
• peer support services
• anger management

Top 4 Rehab Centers That Accept Vermont Medicaid

There are many rehab facilities that accept Vermont Medicaid. These four were chosen because patients gave them high reviews, because of their accreditation, and because of the quality of their treatment approaches and rehab programs.

All save Brattleboro Comprehensive Treatment and Central Vermont Substance Abuse Services accept Medicare as well as Medicaid.

1. Brattleboro Comprehensive Treatment Center, Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro helps people heal from addiction through methadone detox and methadone maintenance for a set amount of time. It utilizes buprenorphine and Vivitrol and is part of a SAMHSA-certified opioid treatment program. It is an outpatient rehab center.

The alcohol and drug treatment center offers addiction therapies such as anger management as well as the Matrix Model, which helps patients who are addicted to stimulants.

They encourage the 12-step philosophy and provide counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Brattleboro has exclusive services for methadone clients.

2. Burlington Lakeside Clinic Department Of Veterans Affairs, Burlington, Vermont

Burlington Lakeside is an outpatient treatment center operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also helps patients through medication-assisted treatment.

This treatment removes the worst discomforts of withdrawal and suppresses cravings that can lead a person to relapse.

While patients are ridding their systems of drugs of abuse through detoxification, they can be helped through behavior therapies, community outreach, anger management, and education in relapse prevention.

There are special recovery programs for veterans and active-duty military. Patients are also given housing services, help with getting social services, and other interim services.

3. Central Vermont Substance Abuse Services, Barre, Vermont

This substance abuse treatment center provides outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment for patients trying to heal from alcohol or drug addiction.

They provide medication-assisted treatment in the form of buprenorphine and naltrexone for opioid abuse and Campral and Antabuse for alcohol addiction.

Patients are also helped by various addiction therapies such as anger management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. The rehab facility practices brief interventions and community outreach. They accept ages from children and adolescents to adults.

4. West Ridge Center For Addiction Recovery, Rutland, Vermont

This drug rehab center operates an opioid treatment program certified by SAMHSA, and all of its patients are considered to be part of this program, even if they have come to the center for treatment of alcohol or other drugs.

Patients are helped through medication-assisted treatment, or MAT. West Ridge is an outpatient treatment facility, though patients are also treated in a VA hospital.

Besides addiction therapies such as motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, and trauma therapy, West Ridge has special programs for adult women, including those who are pregnant or postpartum, and adult men.

They also offer case management, discharge planning, and aftercare. There are services for hearing-impaired patients as well.

Green Mountain Care (Vermont Medicaid) FAQs

Vermont Medicaid makes it possible for individuals to find affordable addiction treatment options. Navigating what your Green Mountain Care plan may cover, however, can be difficult and make finding the right rehab center a headache. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Green Mountain Care (Vermont Medicaid) to help make finding addiction treatment for yourself or a loved one a little bit easier.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Inpatient Treatment For Addiction?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid, or Green Mountain Care, covers the cost of inpatient treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Patients who have inpatient or residential treatment actually live at the rehab center for a fixed period of time as they recover from addiction.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Outpatient Treatment Services?

✔️ Outpatient treatment is also covered by Vermont Medicaid. Patients who are in outpatient treatment visit the treatment center for a few hours per week, then return to their homes or transitional housing.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Partial Hospitalization Programs?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid covers partial hospitalization. In partial hospitalization programs (PHP), the patient is treated at the rehab center for at least 20 hours per week.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Intensive Outpatient Programs?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid does cover intensive outpatient programs. A patient who is in intensive outpatient treatment spends more time at the facility than a patient who is in regular outpatient treatment.

Some addiction specialists characterize intensive outpatient treatment, or IOP, as the patient visiting the rehab facility three times a week to participate in one three-hour session per visit.

❓ Does Green Mountain Care Pay For Medication-Assisted Treatment?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid covers medication-assisted treatment, using the hub and spoke system discussed above. Medication-assisted treatment, along with drug and alcohol detox, can be an important part of recovery for those with opiate or alcohol addictions.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Suboxone?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid covers Suboxone and buprenorphine under fee for service plans. Buprenorphine and naloxone tablets are covered under fee for service plans as a pharmacy benefit.

For Suboxone to be covered, patients have to have documented proof that they’re in substance use disorder counseling, and must be at least 18 years old. Physicians dispense 14 days worth of Suboxone, buprenorphine/naloxone from their offices.

Buprenorphine tablets and buprenorphine/naloxone tablets require prior authorization if they are over 16 milligrams, and only buprenorphine is allowed to be given to pregnant patients.

❓ Does Vermont Medicaid Cover The Cost Of Methadone?

✔️ Vermont Medicaid pays for methadone under managed care and fee-for-service, or FFS plans. As with Suboxone, the patient needs to present proof that they’re in substance use disorder counseling and must be 18 years or older.

How To Pay For Costs Not Covered By Vermont Medicaid

Patients who need treatment programs not covered by Vermont Medicaid can find a way to pay through other types of state-funded insurance, military insurance, self-payment from their own savings, crowdfunding, or a health care credit card.

Some alcohol and drug treatment centers accept IHS/Tribal/Urban, or ITU funding and others are free. Some have a sliding fee scale based on the patient’s income and other circumstances.

Eligibility Requirements For Vermont Medicaid

To be eligible for Vermont Medicaid, a person must be a resident of Vermont, a United States national, a citizen, a legal alien, or permanent resident whose income is below a percentage of the federal poverty level and who is in need of health coverage or health insurance.

Medicaid eligibility requirements state they also have to belong to at least one other category:

• pregnant
• responsible for a child who is 18 or younger
• blind
• disabled or live with a disabled family member
• 65 years old or older

People can enroll for Vermont Medicaid year-round.

Finding Rehab Facilities That Accept Vermont Medicaid

Fortunately, there are a good number of Vermont rehab centers that accept Medicaid coverage. They are open even during the COVID-19 pandemic and have protocols that protect their staff and patients from the virus.

For more information on rehab centers that may be right for you or an addicted loved one, contact one of our addiction specialists today.

Published on October 2, 2020

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff