The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Baltimore:
Addiction Program Cash Cow

Jan 20, 2025

The news media declared Baltimore, Maryland, the city with the most fatal drug overdoses after 6,000 lives were tragically lost between 2018 and 2022. This figure was double that of any other large city.

After Baltimore was exposed as the overdose death capital, Maryland state officials tried to make the spotlight go away by rushing to fund a few new addiction programs.

Baltimore may be a harbinger of things to come. The push to transfer public money into corporate healthcare profit is getting worse by the day. Two New York Times stories shined a light on one example.

According to reports in December and January, a for-profit drug treatment program called PHA Healthcare saw 13 deaths since 2022 that can be traced to participation in its internet-based “addiction treatment program.”

Dilapidated apartments were rented out in Baltimore by a company tied to PHA Healthcare. Homeless victims of addiction were offered free housing. “Drug treatment” was provided via the internet. Residents got almost no human support. Instead, videos were made available as “drug treatment.” Therapy “courses” were taught by inexperienced counselors.

Medicaid was then billed 3,000 dollars a month per resident for addiction counseling. The company’s founder previously worked as a corporate financial advisor before going to jail for fraud. The owner started this new company after his prison release.

In December, the founder was looking to expand his company and held an open house for Baltimore property owners to come and learn more about filling their buildings with “treatment programs.”

But the media exposure of this “treatment program” was enough for the State of Maryland to order this company to stop seeing patients.

Instead of blaming this one schemer, take a look at this twisted society. Addiction treatment is HARD. It requires real human connection. Profiting off addiction treatment is becoming a growth industry. A society addicted to profit can’t help people addicted to drugs!