Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Rehabs in Tennessee

Tennessee substance abuse rates generally hover slightly below the U.S. national average, with marijuana use among teens remaining fairly stable at around 6% from 2012 to 2015.³ That said, heroin use is on the rise, and about 5% of residents have abused prescription painkillers. More than 70% of those reporting non-medical use of prescription substances get the drugs from friends or relatives.⁶

The abuse of prescription drugs has led to overdose deaths, higher hospital costs and emergency room visits, children being put in state custody and more people incarcerated for drug crimes.⁶ Opiates other than heroin were also the most treated substances of abuse in the state in 2015, with 4,236 people seeking professional help.¹

Rates of mental illness and depression, particularly among adolescents, seem to be high, and many go undertreated in the state.

• 1,451 people in the state died from a drug overdose in 2015. This is the highest number of overdose deaths in state history.⁷
• The confirmed rate of overdose deaths has increased every year since 2011, going from 1,062 that year to 1,451 in 2015.⁷
• Nearly 72% of the drug overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2015 involved opioids.⁷
• 83,000 Tennesseans age 12 or older reported using cocaine (1.52%), and 14,000 reported using heroin (0.26%) in the past year in 2014-2015.⁴
• The number of people in substance abuse treatment in the state (according to single-day counts) dramatically increased between 2013 and 2015, from 14,149 to 22,445.²
• 6% of Tennessee addiction treatment admissions in 2015 were male, and 35.4% were female.¹
• Over 4,000 people sought help for a drinking problem in Tennessee in 2015.¹

The cost of rehab can vary considerably from program to program, but questions of how to pay for treatment shouldn’t stop you from seeking care. Most treatment providers in Tennessee are willing to work with patients and their insurance providers to determine a payment schedule that makes sense.

Many private insurance providers do cover addiction treatment services, as does TN’s Medicaid program and the federal Medicare insurance. If you are covered by any of these insurance plans, contact your provider to determine your level of coverage and identify in-network facilities.

Additionally, you may qualify for sliding scale fees or a plan that offers lower monthly payments instead of one large sum due up-front. Talk to the rehab centers you’re interested in to find out more about their specific payment options.

There are 186 state-recognized addiction treatment facilities in Tennessee, many within major cities like Nashville (19) and Memphis (20).⁵

Several of these facilities offer mental health services in addition to substance abuse help, and many also provide detox from alcohol and other drugs. Types of care programs range from residential to hospital inpatient to outpatient, and a large number of programs use different counseling approaches combined with other services, such as case management, aftercare planning, substance abuse education and domestic violence services.⁵ You may be looking to locate 28- or 30-day, 60-day or 90-day rehab programs.

• Tennessee Medicaid – Apply for low-cost government insurance.
• Middle Tennessee Alcoholics Anonymous – Find local AA meetings in Nashville and surrounding areas.
• Tennessee Narcotics Anonymous – Find local NA meetings in Tennessee.
• Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services – Get information about mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention services.
• Tennessee Substance Abuse Treatment for Teens – Learn about and find addiction treatment for teenagers.
• 2-1-1 Tennessee – Get help for legal services, employment, food, transportation and more.

Insurance Providers

Learn more about some addiction treatment insurance providers:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Aetna
• Ambetter
• Kaiser Permanente
• Humana
• UnitedHealthcare

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 2005-2015. State Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services. BHSIS Series S-95, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 17-4360. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017.
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2017). Tennessee Adolescent Substance Abuse Facts.
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Behavioral Health Barometer: Tennessee, Volume 4: Indicators as measured through the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, and the Uniform Reporting System. HHS Publication No. SMA–17–Baro–16–States–SC. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017.
4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2014 and 2015. Tennessee.
5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Behavioral Health Services Information System Series: National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities 2017. BHSIS Series S-96, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 17-5045. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017.
6. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Drugs.
7. Tennessee Department of Health. (2016). 1,451 Tennesseans Die from Drug Overdoses in 2015.

Blue Cross Blue Shield: Tennessee Insurance for Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers

There were 1,307 drug overdose deaths in the state of Tennessee in 2018.¹ During this same period, drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids and heroin both increased.¹ The negative effects of America’s opioid epidemic are far-reaching, and the state of Tennessee has experienced its share of drug-related tragedies. One way to combat this epidemic is through evidence-based addiction treatment at a drug rehab center.

In Tennessee, Blue Cross Blue Shield is known as BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. As the state’s largest health insurer, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee health insurance plans offer various addiction treatment services.² These may include inpatient or outpatient treatment, medical detox, medications, and counseling and therapy.

Does BCBS Cover Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment in TN?

The Affordable Care Act requires that health care plans include mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse services.³ Therefore, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members should have access to certain treatment services for substance use disorder (SUD).

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee health plans are categorized as bronze, silver, and gold.² Like most health insurance plans, you may be responsible for out-of-pocket costs such as your deductible, coinsurance, and prescription medications.

The best way to find out what your coverage levels are for drug and alcohol addiction treatment is to verify your benefits. You can do this by contacting a representative at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee