WE THINK NOT –
Oct. 10, 2025 – Two new books chronicle ‘an American Scandal’ and point the way forward. Insurers, legislators, Congressfolk, listen up!
Forgive the imagery, but we long to box the ears of every California lawmaker with “Rehab: An American Scandal” in one hand, and “Fighting the Florida Shuffle,” in the other. But most importantly, both books also lay out what must change to save lives. Seems that the exploitation and death of extremely vulnerable people — and the obscene fleecing of our health care dollars in what’s ballooned to a $50-billion-plus a year industry — haven’t spurred California or Congress to much effective or protective action, so perhaps a gentle thwack with these books might?
Both delve deeply into the human tragedy exacted by fraud and abuse in our woefully ineffective and under-regulated addiction treatment system, which plays out daily in Southern California’s neighborhoods, hospitals, and too often, morgues.
Both also posit explanations for why insurance companies keep paying for expensive, short-term, non-medical services that they know don’t work.
