September 16, 2010

Defining the Addiction Treatment Gap

The report, released by the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap project , presented statistics about the number of people estimated to need addiction treatment in the United States, and how addiction treatment has historically been funded. It estimated that 23 million Americans are dependent on drugs or alcohol, but only 11% receive treatment. A key barrier for the untreated 20 million has been the cost of treatment. After an addiction treatment benefit mandated by health insurance reform legislation becomes available, it is expected to expand access to treatment.