Employer-sponsored insurance coverage for alcohol and drug abuse treatment, 1988

This paper uses 1988 Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze the content of insurance coverage for alcohol and drug abuse treatment offered by medium and large private sector firms. Ninety percent of workers had medical insurance. Of these, 81% had coverage for alcohol abuse treatment and 75.5% had coverage for drug abuse treatment. The coverages were almost always offered together, and the benefits were generally identical for both. Coverage for inpatient detoxification was most common, followed by outpatient care and inpatient rehabilitation. Self-insured plans, although exempt from state-mandated benefits, were as likely to include alcohol and drug abuse coverage as Blue Cross and Blue Shield and commercial plans, and their specific benefits were no less generous. Coverage limitations tended to be more restrictive for these illnesses than for others. The nature of the limitations varied greatly, although day and dollar limits were most common for inpatient treatment, and visit limits and higher copayments were most common for outpatient treatment.