3 Million Uninsured Workers Need Addiction Treatment, SAMHSA Estimates

About 16 percent of all U.S. workers without health insurance needed addiction treatment within the past year, but only 12.6 percent were able to access services at a specialty addiction-treatment center, a new survey finds.

The need was particularly acute among men and workers ages 18-25, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). However, researchers found that 80 percent of workers assessed as requiring treatment did not themselves see a need to get help.

The report, Substance Use Treatment Need Among Uninsured Workers, was based on a survey of 10,210 full-time workers ages 18-64 who did not have health insurance.