You need more certification to cut hair than you do to own a treatment center. Part education film, part personal drama, Body Brokers tells the story of Utah (Jack Kilmer) and his journey from being a junkie on the streets of Ohio to a recovery center patient in Los Angeles to an actual body broker himself, making tens of thousands just locating junkies and pushing them through the revolving door of recovery centers. Financially Utah All material published on this website Copyright 1994-2023 White Hat Communications. Its a The business is simple: Vins venue bills insurance companies while endlessly treating the same patients who receive kickbacks, which, as you will probably guess, are spent on buying more drugs. Sincethe bill was passed, he says, nearly2,000sober livings,100in-patient treatment centers, and200detox facilities have opened up just inSouthern California alone. From my understanding, there is a lot of laws now that monitor and penalize this practice, but similarschemes still happen in the community. and robs convenience stores with hopped-up girlfriend Opal (Alice Englert) to patient, hyper Sid (Owen Campbell). Here are mine: I know those who have received life-saving support, awakenings, insights, and direction through both inpatient and outpatient drug treatment settings. When Utah was hastily leaving Los Angeles, May was simply left behind. Helping people isnt even a secondary goal. I think there are good people in the treatment industry. I have a lot of people who call me struggling with addiction and I dont give them a number for a treatment center, I offer to take them to a 12-step meeting. The protagonists story is based on the true-life experiences of the director, John Swab. Patients are often unknowingly signed up for premium plans with generous coverage (e.g., out-of-network coverage and low out-of-pocket costs) available in states that the patient does not live in, nor has ever lived in, but serve to reimburse the ultimate treatment center at a higher rate than other plans or providers., The website points to thecommon practice of a patients health information, such as their treatment plan or diagnosis, being discussed in a sales or marketing context, and shared with individuals outside the patients care team, without medical necessity or the patients consent. WebAll submissions of surplus lines policies should be sent to the Surplus Line Association of Utah within 60 days of the effective date of the coverage. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Basically, a bunch of dickheads decided to treat addicts like cash-cows, buying and selling them between each other based off the amount of money they can potentially wring out of them and their insurers. You're almost there! Copyright Fandango. Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser: Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain. And the movie's cover wasn't exactly eye-catching. Ultimately, it triggered his addiction to strike back. Theres no angle, it doesnt cost you any money and its just people helping other people. Company Insurance companies are getting defrauded, and some are government-based, like Medicaid, so financial losses are primarily there, yes. Contact the Surplus Line Association for further instructions. In his Body Brokers, John Swab points out that no matter how long junkies stay clean, eventually, they get back to where they started. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. All rights reserved. There are no shortcuts to recovery. Ignorance is bliss. David Allen. BARDO: FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS, WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Body Brokers was a Limited release in 2021 on Friday, February 19, 2021. Heres the plot and ending of the movie Body Brokers explained; spoilers ahead. Ending Explained: Do Junkies Never Change? A weak character and no moral stem didnt lead Utah anywhere but to an even greater downfall with no chance of ever going back to normal. A look at the Body Brokers behind-the-scenes crew and production team. After returning to his hometown, Utah experiences a surge of dark nostalgia that simply cant have any happy ending. I do not recommend that you see Body Brokers for character development. Body Brokers: Ending Explained: Do Junkies Never Change? Digital rental or purchase allows you to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on your favorite devices. Now its time to step up and make a living. But something in Utah tells him such life cant continue. Observer: Youd made a couple crime thrillers before this film. Jeremy M. Rosen, John Swab, Robert Ogden Barnum and Oliver Ridge Director: John Swabs intent is unwavering to reveal unscrupulous manipulators who realized, as funds became readily available, they could provide treatment centers, some under the intricate cover of multimillion dollar publicly traded companies, where insurance fraud is perpetrated, sometimes against government-based programs such as Medicaid. and Woods drug treatment mogul partner, Vin, played in ruthless, sickening dimension by Frank Grillo, offer their corrupt mentoring to the vulnerable Utah, as they introduce him to the glamour and disguised escape money can provide for brief moments. This is where Utah is introduced to the world of treatment and patient brokering by marketer Wood, portrayed by Michael K. Williams (widely known for playing the role of Omar in The Wire). After getting recruited by a body broker, Wood (Williams), and He soon learns that the system has no incentive to cure addiction, but rather to create repeat business. As the movie follows Utahs very short journey to sobriety, we watch as he learns that not everyone admitted into a rehab facility is there for the right reasons. A mysterious, suspiciously kind stranger who shows compassion for theirmodus vivendi(because he knows its perils far too well) buys the two a lunch and invites them to sign up for a treatment program, which happens to be free. What about the other 90%? e track upcoming movies through all stages of film production. In Body Brokers, writer and director John Swab offers his life experience on some of what has gone so horrifically wrong. In any case,Body Brokersshines a light on one of its many graveyards. The first is the need for regulation and oversight at the federal level, from detox to sober living. A bright young man who is full of hopes John Swab, director of Body Brokers. This is what Wood terms the American F------ Dream., Crazy-eyed junkie Sid (Owen Campbell), a chronic rehab shuffler, who gets $2,000 per referral, is described by Wood as a living, breathing ATM machinethats the type you have to keep closeyou cant let them get away hes not getting better anytime soon after 90 days he hits the streets and comes back for another 90 days.. it), the operation is a scheme to take advantage of provisions in the It soon becomes clear that Utah and Opal are but hooks, to draw us in, longing for their recovery and a hopeful ending. Im hoping that this film brings some attention to this [scam], he says, because a lot of these drug addicts and alcoholics have been lying for so long that nobody believes them when theyre telling the truth. Because of a lack of regulations, laws and oversight, the treatment facilities have been able to operate in the grey, where its not necessarily illegal what theyre doing.. Are you scared of the consequences these criminals might enact upon you for making this film? This is a film about where capitalism fails addicts, Swab comments. and the Utah is skeptical, naturally. As it turns out, there areprofessional addictswho agree to step into rehab for another 90 days in return for their cut of insurance money from Vin and the likes of him. He underscores that practices revealed in his film are commonplace: payment to participate in the program, to relapse, to bring in recruits, as well as insurance policies purchased for recruits. comes across as an extended version of the sort of monitory film that might be After getting recruited by a body broker, Wood (Williams), and offered treatment in Los Angeles, Wood takes Utah under his wing and introduces him to treatment center mogul Vin (Grillo). some solid performersWilliams, Melissa Leo as a clinic doctor, the always We believe in the work that we do and hope that it continues to dampen the activity of patient brokering. Lee Daniels' The Butler, London Has Fallen, Detective Knight: Independence, Lords of Chaos. I think he was excited at the prospect of his life story being made into a movie. Its really murky to know who the villain is. addiction treatment scam designed to bilk millions from insurance companies and Utah and Opal are two junkies who roam and live on the streets of rural Ohio. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Contact us with details on your next project and we will get back with you. WebBody Brokers (In Theaters & VOD) Michael K. Williams and Jack Kilmer in 'Body Brokers' Utah (Jack Kilmer) and Opal (Alice Englert) are two kids in Ohio who abuse drugs and commit been clued in to how lucrative the business of recruiting can be from another Body Brokers, a crime thriller available in select theaters and on demand now, stars Jack Kilmer, Alice Englert, Melissa Leo and Michael K. Williams and takes to task the multi-billion-dollar fraud that uses addicts to recruit other addicts into rehab. The film's writer John Swab last wrote Candy Land and Run With The Hunted. Review: Health insurance scam preys on human suffering in fascinating, flawed Body Brokers. About three years after, I came back out to Los Angeles to visit somebody who worked in a treatment center, and they explained to me how this whole thing had boomed and how much money was being made now. Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images. [3], Principal photography took place in August 2019 in Oklahoma. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Of course, mass drug addiction is already an expression of capitalisms massive failure and growing crisis. the government, is too flatly rendered to provoke much interest, let alone Privacy Policy Affordable Care Act requiring coverage for substance-abuse treatment. Wood. May is a sweet girl, a rehab staff member who is perhaps the only positive character here. 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