Jesse Scheckner
Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s next political steps are still undetermined, but his latest creative endeavor is now available for home and digital shelves.
He has co-authored a new book with Dr. David R. Campbell, an orthopedic surgeon and the chief medical correspondent for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” examining systemic abuses in addiction treatment.
Titled “Fighting the Florida Shuffle,” the 236-page exposé from Pensacola-based Indigo River Publishing takes aim at the darker side of a multibillion-dollar industry that is meant to support recovery, but has often profited from relapse.
Drawing on their respective backgrounds in law enforcement and medicine, Aronberg and Campbell chronicle how vulnerable individuals seeking treatment have been exploited by profit-driven schemes that prioritize insurance payouts over patient care.
“Drug treatment has become a thriving enterprise, but the profit motive has lured predators to exploit the vulnerable who seek help,” the book’s description says.
“As rogue rehab owners line their pockets through insurance fraud, patient brokering and illegal kickbacks, their victims leave behind grieving families and loved ones, who wonder how the insurance coverage thought to be a lifeline led to increased overdose and premature death.”
The book’s title refers to a practice where individuals with substance use disorders are recruited, sometimes with free plane tickets, and cycled through substandard outpatient programs and so-called “sober homes,” often with fatal consequences.
Many victims are lured with misleading promises only to find themselves in unsafe, unregulated facilities that prioritize billing over recovery.
The term “Florida shuffle” has become shorthand for a scheme that exploits Affordable Care Act mandates requiring insurance coverage for addiction treatment. It’s had a Wikipedia entry since 2019.
Aronberg and Campbell argue that while the federal policies were well-intended, they unintentionally created loopholes that incentivize relapse over long-term recovery.
The book also offers guidance for families navigating the treatment landscape and presents a case study of how one Florida community acted against bad actors.
Further, the authors examine the role of corporate malfeasance, particularly Purdue Pharma’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin, in laying the groundwork for the modern opioid epidemic.
“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough wrote the forward for “Fighting the Florida Shuffle,” which has garnered plaudits from several notable Floridians, including Laura Cusack, Chair of the Human Trafficking Coalition of the Palm Beaches; Dr. Jay Kuchera, a pain medicine physician from Port St. Lucie; and Marvin Ventrell, CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.
Kuchera said the book offers “an unflinching view into the dark side of an industry meant to be the hope of those caught in the grip of addiction.”
Ventrell called it “a compelling tale of corruption, resilience and recovery, demonstrating a way out of this horrible mess and serving as an inspiration and model for others to follow.”
A former state Senator, Assistant Florida Attorney General and White House Fellow in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Aronberg led a high-profile task force targeting unscrupulous addiction treatment providers in South Florida while serving as Palm Beach State Attorney.
He is currently a guest legal analyst on MSNBC, CNN and NewsNation.
Campbell is a retired U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps major, former assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Florida and the author of “The Teen Formula: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Child Avoid Substance Abuse.”
In addition to his “Morning Joe” duties, he continues to practice medicine in Florida and is a medical contributor for MSNBC and NBC.
