$5,000 for a drug urine test? We all pay the price
The nation is suffering from an opioid addiction crisis and a recent report from Politico exposes how some unregulated drug treatment centers make big profits from their patients and their insurance companies.
Politico focused on Palm Beach County, Florida, dubbed the “recovery capital of America,” because of a proliferation of so-called “sober homes,” that lure desperate addicts from around the country.
Operator-owners offer free rent, airplane tickets and even gym memberships to entice people suffering from opioid addiction. And they keep them in treatment for as long as their insurance lasts. Elsewhere, providers even pay their patients’ insurance premiums and deductibles to ensure that payments to their centers keep on coming.
In Florida, Political reports some drug treatment facilities order repeated urine testing to run up insurance payments, charging $1,500 to $5,000 per screening. A typical day at one of these homes consists of a $1,500 urine test, followed by a 15-minute group session billed at $250, followed by a $150 massage and $125 acupuncture session.
Addicts are kicked out as soon as the insurance coverage is exhausted, even if their recovery has failed.
“That’s insurance fraud,” Marc Woods, a former police officer hired to respond to complaints, told Politico.
Fraud affects more than the patients or their insurance companies. We all pay because the fraudulent costs are baked into future health insurance premiums.
While Politico highlighted fraud in Palm Beach County, other news reports indicate this is occurring throughout the U.S.
A joint investigation by the Boston Globe and STAT, a health care news website, found patients are sent to treatment centers far from home for questionable care that is paid by health insurance benefits procured with fake addresses. Many patients are told they are receiving “free care” and have no idea that they are part of a scam.
In Utah, the Logan Herald Journal reported state regulators revoked the license of a treatment facility for failing to provide clients with information about their costs and, even going as far, as paying their insurance premiums to keep the patient at the facility.
Sober homes and doctors in California faced criminal charges for insurance fraud related to a $22 million urine test billing scheme, the Orange County Register reported.
Voices for Affordable Health would like to hear from you. Have you or someone you love been the victim of similar fraud? Share your story today.