Thread by @MotherJones

1/ We just published a 9-month investigation into the loosely-regulated rehab industry—and how it can lure recovering drug users into a deadly cycle. It’s an infuriating, must-read story: bit.ly/2GT8Eye

2/ First, meet Brianne, a 22-year-old former softball star caught in the addiction-rehab cycle. She was addicted to heroin and had committed to sobering up. Then, in 2017 a man offered her a deal too good to refuse: go to rehab, and get paid $1,000 per week.

3/ She took him up on the offer—and between 2016 and 2018, went in and out of rehab dozens of times, often in places that were setting her up for failure.

Many rehab centers don’t offer FDA-approved addiction medication or employ any doctors. bit.ly/2GT8Eye

4/ Brianne became a part of what’s called the “Florida shuffle,” a cycle wherein recovering users are wooed aggressively by rehabs and freelance “patient brokers” in an effort to fill beds and collect insurance money.

5/ For rehab owners and brokers who make money each time a patient is admitted, relapses can be a profit center.

6/ For example, the amounts billed to Brianne’s insurance seemed outlandish: $3,000 for a routine drug test and, in one case, $22,000 in rehab charges in a single day. Here’s what private insurance claims for opioid users looked like between 2011 and 2015: bit.ly/2GT8Eye

7/ One broker we talked to, Peter, says he is paid $5,000 to $12,000 for each client admitted to treatment, which breaks down to about $500 an hour. (Peter’s name has been changed.) bit.ly/2GT8Eye

8/ Rehabs and their brokers often market directly to addicts—or appeal to desperate parents on Facebook. Here’s a 2016 screenshot we obtained between two rehab marketers: bit.ly/2GT8Eye

9/ A quick aside: While experts say the practices described here are widespread, there are responsible treatment providers—not all facilities named engage in all practices we describe. Still, it’s nearly impossible for users to tell ethical, evidence-based rehabs from others.

10/ As addiction and overdose rates soar, the demand for treatment, the white face of addiction, and recent laws requiring insurers to cover substance use services have all resulted in a surge in rehab spending and private investment. bit.ly/2GT8Eye

11/ Despite the depth of the problem, raising the standard of care—and providing addiction medications and trained medical staffers—would drive many rehabs out of business.

12/ While legislators are catching up on regulating the industry, some rehabs are taking action. The industry’s main trade group recently revised its code of ethics to prohibit members from “buying and selling… patient leads.”

13/ As for Brianne, she was sober as of last December—and planning to attend Georgia Highlands College in the fall.

14/ Listen to Mother Jones reporter @julia_lurie talk about her investigation on this week's episode of the @MoJoPodcast: “The more I called around, the more I connected with parents and people who had been through this. And it just sounded hellish.” bit.ly/2H6PlRc

15/ Read the full investigation here: bit.ly/2GT8Eye

16/16 And if you do need to find a good rehab facility, here are seven tips: bit.ly/2GT8Eye