Behavioral Health Group Now Accepting Aetna Nationwide
Dallas, TX
Today Behavioral Health Group (BHG) announced that, effective Nov. 1, all 117 of its medication-assisted recovery℠ (MAR) treatment centers across 23 states are now accepting Aetna® insurance for its comprehensive addiction treatment and recovery services. Additionally, patients can receive treatment under Medicaid and original Medicare with no out-of-pocket costs. BHG’s national footprint of treatment centers will serve 9.1 million Aetna members and cover adult family members in much the same way as urgent care facilities, accepting walk-ins and same-day/next-day appointments.
Opioid overdose deaths are a public health crisis and now represent the number one cause of accidental death in the U.S., surpassing automobile accidents in 2018. In 2021, overdose deaths in this country increased 30% and topped 100,000 for the first time[1]. In 2020[2], more than 2.7 million people had an opioid use disorder (OUD) and 40.3 million people over the age of 12 reported having a past year substance use disorder (SUD). However, only 11%[3] of these individuals received care at a specialty facility. Moreover, 17 million adults[4] are reported to have both SUD and any mental illness (AMI).
MAR has repeatedly been shown in randomized, controlled trials to be superior to psychosocial interventions alone in helping patients with SUDs abstain from drug misuse and stay in treatment. As a leading MAR provider, BHG’s proprietary Integrated Dynamic Care Model (IDCM) meets patients where they are by offering multiple pathways to evidence-based treatment and recovery for SUD.
“It’s a program, not a pill,” said Dr. Benjamin Nordstrom, Chief Medical Officer for BHG. “Our Integrated Dynamic Care Model uses medication that supports the treatment, and it’s the treatment that produces recovery. Medications can’t teach people adaptive coping skills or educate them on how to identify and avoid high-risk situations, repair broken relationships, or get them to have different tools to manage strong, negative feelings. Treatment does those things, and that’s why it’s such an important part of what we do.”
The IDCM includes focusing on the whole person by addressing social factors where the root cause and triggers reside. Beyond clinic walls, local BHG staff continuously work to eliminate barriers to services and systems that hinder a person’s recovery by partnering with community resources, the criminal justice system, and law enforcement.
To learn more information about BHG, visit www.bhgrecovery.com or call toll-free 844-535-7291.
[1] Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
[2] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-annual-national-report
[3] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-annual-national-report
[4] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-annual-national-report
