Is There Free Rehab in Ohio?
Yes, for many people. Free and low-cost addiction treatment in Ohio comes mostly through public coverage and public money: Ohio Medicaid, county alcohol, drug and mental health boards, and federally funded health centers. Online lists of free rehab centers can include programs that bill insurance like any other provider, so ask any program you find how your care would be paid for.
SAMHSA, the federal substance use agency, says: “If you don’t have insurance, you still have access to quality care. Each state has funding to provide treatment for people without insurance coverage.”
| Route | Who it fits | What you pay | Where to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Medicaid | Adults 19 to 64 without Medicare, under the income limit, and other groups | No copay listed for treatment visits | Ohio Benefits or your county Job and Family Services office |
| County ADAMH board | County residents with no coverage or too little | Based on income | Your county board |
| Federally funded health center | Anyone | Discounted by ability to pay | Find a Health Center, then ask whether the center treats substance use |
| Marketplace insurance | People above Medicaid’s limit | Premiums, often lowered by tax credits | HealthCare.gov |
| VA health care | Veterans | Depends on your disability rating and the care | VA |
Ohio Medicaid: Who Qualifies in 2026
Ohio Medicaid calls its adult group, the group added by the Medicaid expansion, Group VIII. Its Group VIII page describes it as “adults aged 19 through 64 who have Medicaid because their income is at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level.”
Ohio Medicaid’s 2026 eligibility chart lists the monthly limits for adults aged 19 to 64 at 133 percent of the poverty level. Before income is compared with that line, a federal rule subtracts “an amount equivalent to 5 percentage points of the Federal poverty level” from your income, which is why the Group VIII page says 138 percent. The highest household income that still qualifies is therefore about 138 percent of the poverty guideline:
| People in the household | Income limit, a month (our figure, about 138 percent) | Ohio Medicaid’s chart, a month (133 percent) | Poverty guideline, a year (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,835 | $1,769 | $15,960 |
| 2 | $2,489 | $2,399 | $21,640 |
| 3 | $3,142 | $3,028 | $27,320 |
| 4 | $3,795 | $3,658 | $33,000 |
| 5 | $4,448 | $4,288 | $38,680 |
We computed the income limit column from the 2026 poverty guidelines of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 138 percent of the yearly figure, divided by twelve and rounded to the dollar. For a larger household, do the same with its guideline; the guidelines list households of up to eight people and add $5,680 for each person after that.
The other conditions, from Ohio Medicaid’s Who Qualifies page, include being a U.S. citizen or a qualifying non-citizen, having or getting a Social Security number, and living in Ohio. The same page adds: “Even if you are not sure that you or your family will qualify for coverage, you should still apply.”
Pregnant women have a higher limit. Ohio’s rule for pregnant individuals sets it at “two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for the family size,” and the same 5 percent deduction applies.
The adult group leaves out people who have Medicare: its federal rule excludes anyone “entitled to or enrolled for Medicare benefits under part A or B”. If you are 65 or older or have Medicare, the Who Qualifies page links a separate chart for “aged, blind or disabled individuals.”
How to Apply for Ohio Medicaid
Ohio Medicaid’s Common Questions page gives three ways to apply:
- Online, through the Ohio Benefits self-service portal, where you log in with an OHID account.
- In person or by mail, at your county Job and Family Services office. Ohio Benefits lists the offices under “Find Your Local County Agency.”
- By phone, through the Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline, whose “staff can help you with your application.” The number is on our Medicaid page.
The county has a deadline. Ohio’s rule gives it “Forty-five calendar days from the date of application”, or ninety days when a person applies on the basis of blindness or disability. The rule allows exceptions, such as an emergency beyond the county’s control.
Coverage reaches back. Under the same rule, coverage “begins on the first day of the calendar month in which the application which resulted in eligibility was submitted.” If you had covered care in the three months before that and would have qualified then, ask for retroactive coverage. When you report the care, request it and were eligible, the county must approve coverage “effective no later than the first day of the third month before the month of application”: for an application made in October, that is July 1. This changes for applications made from January 1, 2027 (see below).
Coverage can start the same day. Ohio allows presumptive eligibility, which its rule describes as “time-limited medical assistance as a result of an initial, simplified determination of eligibility based on the individual’s self-declared statements.” Ohio Medicaid’s state plan lists the adult group among the groups for which hospitals make that decision, and its Group VIII partner packet says hospitals and the other places that grant it will ask about the work requirement for people “who appear to be eligible under Group VIII.” The rule also lets federally funded health centers, local health departments and county Job and Family Services offices make the decision for the groups it covers, each under its own income limit: children, pregnant women, parents and caretaker relatives, and some young adults. Presumptive coverage starts the day it is granted, covers nothing earlier, ends at the end of the next month unless you file a full application, and can be used once in twelve months; for pregnancy it is limited to “ambulatory prenatal care” and can be used once in each pregnancy. Ask the hospital or health center whether it can start your coverage the same day.
After approval most people join a managed care plan. Ohio Medicaid’s What to Expect page says “most individuals who have Medicaid must join a managed care plan to receive their health care.” Ohio Medicaid’s plan list has seven: AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Buckeye Community Health Plan, CareSource Ohio, Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio. Leora accepts all seven Ohio Medicaid plans.
What Ohio Medicaid Pays For
Ohio’s rule on substance use disorder treatment follows the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s levels of care. It says “Medicaid will reimburse for the services provided under the following ASAM levels of care”:
| Level in Ohio’s rule | What it is | What the rule adds | At Leora |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOC 1, outpatient services | Counseling and treatment visits | “less than nine hours per week for adults” | Outpatient |
| LOC 2, intensive outpatient | Several hours of treatment a day, several days a week | Can run “during the day, before or after work or school, in the evening, and/or on weekends” | Intensive outpatient, and virtual IOP statewide |
| LOC 2.5, partial hospitalization | A full day program | Needs prior authorization and “a minimum of twenty hours of services per week” | Partial hospitalization |
| LOC 2 withdrawal management | Detox while living at home | Covered with the LOC 2 services | Ambulatory detox |
| LOC 3, residential and inpatient | Treatment where you stay overnight | Includes LOC 3 withdrawal management; room and board not included | Not offered |
Prior authorization is the program’s job: it asks your plan to approve the level of care.
Medication is covered too. Ohio Medicaid’s behavioral health manual lists oral buprenorphine, extended-release buprenorphine injections, the Vivitrol naltrexone injection and oral naltrexone among the medications it pays providers for. The same manual allows intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization group counseling by telehealth. Medication assisted treatment at Leora uses buprenorphine and Vivitrol.
What you pay. Ohio’s copay rule lists copays for dental services, vision services, non-emergency use of the emergency room and pharmacy services, and its managed care copay rule lets plans charge copays only for those same kinds of services. Treatment visits are not on either list, and the copay rule adds: “No provider may deny services to an individual who is eligible for the services on account of the individual’s inability to pay the medicaid co-payment.” Some prescriptions do carry a copay: the pharmacy rule sets “a three dollar co-payment for prescribed drugs that require prior authorization and a two dollar co-payment for selected trade name prescribed drugs.”
What it does not cover. Ohio’s coverage rule leaves out room and board. For residential treatment, Ohio Medicaid’s behavioral health manual says “Per diem payments do not include room and board,” so ask a residential program what you would pay for the bed. Medicaid also does not pay for a bed in a sober living house; our guides to sober living in Columbus and Dayton cover how those houses are paid for.
What Changes for Ohio Medicaid in January 2027
A federal law passed in 2025, Public Law 119-21, changes Medicaid for adults in the expansion group. Ohio Medicaid’s Group VIII page says: “The Work and Community Engagement Requirement will take effect on January 1, 2027.” As of October 21, 2026 the page also says: “Changes impacting Group VIII eligibility are not currently in effect.”
The work requirement. Under the law, an adult in the expansion group meets it in a month with 80 hours of work, 80 hours of community service, 80 hours in a work program, half-time school, a mix of these that adds up to 80 hours, or monthly income of at least the federal minimum wage times 80 hours.
People in addiction treatment are exempt. Ohio Medicaid lists “Participating in a substance use disorder (SUD) treatment program” as an exemption. It also counts as medically frail, and exempt, people “With a substance use disorder, including individuals in recovery for up to five years.” The proof it accepts for treatment is a “Doctor’s Statement” or a “Statement from Treatment Facility or Program.” Ohio Medicaid first tries to confirm an exemption from its own records: “If ODM cannot verify their status, then they will receive a request for more information. If they receive a request, they must respond to get or keep coverage.”
Renewals every six months. The same page says: “Beginning January 1, 2027, federal law will require renewals to take place every six months. This is more frequent than the current 12-month renewal requirement.” Answer every renewal letter, even while you are in treatment.
Less backdated coverage. For applications made from January 1, 2027, the law covers care from “the month before the month in which the individual made application” for adults in the expansion group, and from the second month before for others. Ohio Medicaid’s February 2026 presentation puts “One-month retroactive coverage in effect” on January 1, 2027. Applications made in 2026 keep the three-month look-back.
Copays later, and not for treatment. The law requires copays for some expansion adults above the poverty line “beginning October 1, 2028”, and it bars them for “mental health care services, substance use disorder services, or services provided by a Federally qualified health center”.
The law also treats a person who loses Medicaid only because they did not meet the work requirement as still eligible for Medicaid when Marketplace tax credits are worked out, so that person cannot get a Marketplace tax credit instead.
No Medicaid? Start With Your County Board
County alcohol, drug and mental health boards pay for treatment at local agencies. Ohio law tells each board to build, “to the extent resources are available”, a continuum of care that includes outpatient services that are “Nonintensive”, “Intensive, such as partial hospitalization”, “Withdrawal management” and “Emergency and crisis.”
Columbus and Franklin County. The ADAMH Board of Franklin County says: “A sliding fee scale for services means any Franklin County resident can receive needed services and be charged on the basis of income and circumstance.” Residents who meet its financial rules can join its Standard Benefits Plan, and “For most individuals who meet these requirements, ADAMH services are covered in full; for some, a coinsurance payment may be applicable.” Its Who We Serve page adds that its services reach “those who are under-insured or uninsured”, and that “24/7 crisis services through ADAMH’s network are available to everyone in the community.”
Dayton and Montgomery County. The Montgomery County ADAMHS Board calls LocalHelpNow “our tool for finding a provider who can help you.” The board also publishes its 2025 fee subsidy schedule, which sets what a client pays in its network by household income. Ask the provider whether you qualify.
Elsewhere in Ohio. The state’s Learn and Find Help page points to “state-vetted treatment providers” and a treatment services locator. The department changed its name: Ohio law now says every mention of the “department of mental health and addiction services” means the department of behavioral health, so older pages that name the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services mean the same agency.
Methadone. Each board must publish every year “a list of all opioid treatment programs licensed under section 5119.37 of the Revised Code that are operating within the board’s district”, under section 340.08. Franklin County’s is on the ADAMH Board’s opioid treatment programs page.
Health Centers, the VA and Other Routes
Federally funded health centers. Federal law requires these centers to keep “a corresponding schedule of discounts” adjusted “on the basis of the patient’s ability to pay,” and to “assure that no patient will be denied health care services due to an individual’s inability to pay for such services” (42 U.S.C. 254b). Substance use treatment is an optional service for most of them, so call and ask whether a center treats it and whether it offers medication. Ohio’s presumptive eligibility rule also lets health centers grant short-term Medicaid to the groups it covers, each under its own income limit; for pregnancy it covers prenatal care only. Ask whether the center can start your coverage the same day. Search Find a Health Center by address.
Veterans. The VA says: “The VA health care program covers services to treat substance use problems. To access these services, first apply for VA health care.” A veteran who served in a combat zone can “get free private counseling, alcohol and drug assessment, and other support” at a Vet Center. On VA copays, a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or higher “won’t need to pay a copay for outpatient care”; other veterans may pay a copay for outpatient care for conditions not related to their service.
Medicare. Medicare.gov’s page on mental health and substance use disorders says “Medicare covers certain screenings, services, and programs that aid in the treatment and recovery of mental health and substance use disorders.” Ask any program whether it accepts your Medicare coverage. Ohio Medicaid’s Common Questions page says its Medicare Premium Assistance Program “helps Ohioans pay for the cost of Medicare premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and copayments,” and you apply for it like other Medicaid programs.
Marketplace insurance. On HealthCare.gov, “Starting November 1, you can apply for 2027 coverage”, and December 15 is the “Last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1.” HealthCare.gov lists January 15 as the end of open enrollment; check the date when you apply. If you lost Medicaid in the past 90 days, you may qualify for a special enrollment period. Every Marketplace plan covers substance use treatment: “All Marketplace plans cover mental health and substance abuse services as essential health benefits.” For tax credits, HealthCare.gov says that with “Income between 100% and 400% FPL”, “in all states you qualify for the premium tax credit that lowers your monthly premium.” That applies only if you do not qualify for Medicaid: its Medicaid page says “If you qualify for Medicaid, you aren’t eligible for savings on a Marketplace plan.” For an Ohio adult, that means income above Medicaid’s limit. Under the federal parity law, copays and visit limits for substance use treatment generally “cannot be more restrictive” than those for medical and surgical care.
Through work. SAMHSA’s no insurance page describes an employee assistance program as “a free and confidential service that your company pays for” that “can help employees with mental health, drug or alcohol use, grief, and trauma.” Ask human resources whether your employer has one.
Through the courts. For an OVI conviction, Ohio law says the offender pays for court-ordered alcohol treatment, but if the court finds the person unable to pay, “the court may order that the cost be paid from the court’s indigent drivers’ alcohol treatment fund” (section 4511.19). Our guide to court-ordered addiction treatment in Ohio covers drug courts and the other court routes.
Sliding Fees and Medicaid Near Columbus and Dayton
SAMHSA’s locator, FindTreatment.gov, lists facilities with the payment options each one gives, and “All facilities in FindTreatment.gov are licensed by the state they’re in.” We searched it on October 21, 2026, for substance use facilities within 10 miles of downtown Columbus and of downtown Dayton:
| Within 10 miles of | Facilities listed | Accept Medicaid | List a sliding fee scale | List payment assistance | Accept government funding for substance use treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Columbus | 49 | 46 | 18 | 11 | 19 |
| Downtown Dayton | 26 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Almost every listed facility takes Medicaid, so Medicaid gives the widest choice of facilities. Fewer list a sliding fee: about a third near Columbus and about a quarter near Dayton.
To run the search yourself:
- Open FindTreatment.gov and enter your address or zip code.
- Use the filters to narrow the list to substance use treatment and to the payment options you need, such as a sliding fee scale or payment assistance.
- Call the facilities that fit. The site’s own advice for someone with no money and no insurance is to find “facilities near your home that offer payment assistance” and to “call facilities directly for more information.”
The site also says you will need an “estimate of your annual income” and “a correct count of your family members” to find out whether you are eligible for some services.
Free Help That Is Not Treatment
988. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, says the state’s Learn and Find Help page, “provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress.” Call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Naloxone. Under Project DAWN, “Anyone in Ohio can obtain free ORM and overdose response education through Project DAWN locations.” ORM stands for overdose reversal medication, such as naloxone.
Referrals. SAMHSA’s National Helpline is “a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service” in English and Spanish. It does not provide counseling. For callers without insurance it says: “we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid.”
How to Check a Program Before You Commit
Many of the pages that rank for free rehab in Ohio send callers to a referral line, which passes them on to a treatment program. When you call a number from one of them, ask whether you are speaking with the program itself, and ask in writing what you will pay.
Among the checks in SAMHSA’s guidance on finding quality treatment:
- The program is “licensed or certified by the state.”
- It is “accredited, which means it meets standards of care set by a national, compliance organization.”
- It offers medication: “Confirm whether the program offers FDA approved medication for recovery from alcohol and opioid use disorders.”
- It can see you quickly: “If they can’t see you or a family member within 48 hours, find another provider.”
FindTreatment.gov lists only state-licensed facilities, so a program that appears there has passed the first check.
Where Leora Fits
Leora Behavioral Health is an outpatient addiction and mental health treatment center with facilities in Columbus and Dayton. Leora accepts every Ohio Medicaid plan and insurance from all major commercial insurance providers, and admissions can check your coverage while you are on the phone. Paying for treatment covers what to bring to your assessment.
Programs at both facilities: ambulatory detox, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient and medication assisted treatment. Virtual IOP runs statewide, with an evening program for substance use. Leora does not offer residential care and does not prescribe methadone.
