Disir
Platinum Member
- Sep 30, 2011
- 28,003
- 9,609
Marco Rubio is just as tired as you are of the ubiquitous commercial where a man in blue scrubs urges families beset by drug addition to call for treatment options.
As Congress seeks to stanch an ongoing, nationwide opioid crisis, the Florida Republican is trying to crack down on companies that make money every time a distressed parent or family member tries to find a drug treatment clinic to help a loved one become clean.
Rubio is set to introduce a bill in the next two weeks that prohibits drug addiction call centers from making money off every patient referral without verifying whether the treatment provider is reputable, and changing the system to reward companies that have a track record of getting people clean.
Currently, call companies can receive a small commission from the treatment centers for every caller they send their way, about $50, a pittance when various treatment clinics can reap $40,000 or more in insurance claims when someone goes through treatment for drug addiction. Unscrupulous treatment clinics can also tap into insurance money by routing addicts to labs that charge thousands for routine drug tests. The labs and "sober homes" where addicts reside while in recovery then get a cut of the insurance money in what amounts to a kickback.
The companies that run ads like the "man in blue" ad, a staple of late-night television, make money for every call they farm out to a treatment center, regardless of whether the caller ends up paying for treatment or if the addict becomes clean. Critics argue the companies that farm out calls to clinics aren't concerned with the patient's specific needs and best path to recovery.
Rubio wants to stop kickbacks that keep drug addicts perpetually in recovery
Sens. Rubio, Nelson push bill to help consumers identify illicit sober homes
All Info - S.2828 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Sober Home Fraud Detection Act
That might be the only thing Rubio has attempted to tackle that I agree with. I hate the call companies. Hate. There are some unscrupulous sober living environments.
There have been so many cuts made that some of these folks need to be in rehab longer then some 28 days- which is a thing. They need to be in there for 3-6 months and sometimes longer. They are stuck in that age that they began using so they have to learn how to rethink everything. The first 10 days are detox. AND some of those people are MR, or have a mental illness and many of them are dealing with trauma. They have legal issues, employment issues, housing issues, transportation issues. They may relapse because the shit is overwhelming. They may relapse because they have no choice but to go back to the exact same environment that they came from. Transitional housing is necessary. All this takes money. So, it would be great if people would stop scamming the system so some progress could be made.
As Congress seeks to stanch an ongoing, nationwide opioid crisis, the Florida Republican is trying to crack down on companies that make money every time a distressed parent or family member tries to find a drug treatment clinic to help a loved one become clean.
Rubio is set to introduce a bill in the next two weeks that prohibits drug addiction call centers from making money off every patient referral without verifying whether the treatment provider is reputable, and changing the system to reward companies that have a track record of getting people clean.
Currently, call companies can receive a small commission from the treatment centers for every caller they send their way, about $50, a pittance when various treatment clinics can reap $40,000 or more in insurance claims when someone goes through treatment for drug addiction. Unscrupulous treatment clinics can also tap into insurance money by routing addicts to labs that charge thousands for routine drug tests. The labs and "sober homes" where addicts reside while in recovery then get a cut of the insurance money in what amounts to a kickback.
The companies that run ads like the "man in blue" ad, a staple of late-night television, make money for every call they farm out to a treatment center, regardless of whether the caller ends up paying for treatment or if the addict becomes clean. Critics argue the companies that farm out calls to clinics aren't concerned with the patient's specific needs and best path to recovery.
Rubio wants to stop kickbacks that keep drug addicts perpetually in recovery
Sens. Rubio, Nelson push bill to help consumers identify illicit sober homes
All Info - S.2828 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Sober Home Fraud Detection Act
That might be the only thing Rubio has attempted to tackle that I agree with. I hate the call companies. Hate. There are some unscrupulous sober living environments.
There have been so many cuts made that some of these folks need to be in rehab longer then some 28 days- which is a thing. They need to be in there for 3-6 months and sometimes longer. They are stuck in that age that they began using so they have to learn how to rethink everything. The first 10 days are detox. AND some of those people are MR, or have a mental illness and many of them are dealing with trauma. They have legal issues, employment issues, housing issues, transportation issues. They may relapse because the shit is overwhelming. They may relapse because they have no choice but to go back to the exact same environment that they came from. Transitional housing is necessary. All this takes money. So, it would be great if people would stop scamming the system so some progress could be made.
