AT THIS HOUR

6.66: Ironically the average number of days per week that 63,016 males we polled bet on sports in what is quickly becoming a gateway to bigger issues particularly for youth and young adults. The prevalence of sports betting among 12-17 year olds is rising, according to the Imagine Sports poll. Many say they do it to fill the void after being cut from high school sports teams, others because “it’s a more exhilarating way to earn a living.”  The addiction is quite possibly the newest epidemic in the U.S. and most often affects 12–30-year-olds, that’s right, young teens. The healthcare industry has begun to respond but not all treatment programs are created equal. There is a growing continent of sports gambling sub-specialists who are set up to get patients to recovery. There's a specific certification that matters here (the ICOGS or ICCG) but oft times people end up in treatment with someone who specializes in treating substance abuse. It's a different addiction and parents, providers and insurers need to understand and communicate the differences.

Science: Legend has it that priest and scholar Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper to a church in Germany in 1517 containing the so-called 95 revolutionary opinions including his dislike over the church asking for payment for the forgiveness of sins, not unlike policy papers that have pushed back on insurance policies asking people with opioid addiction to pay for treatment for a condition initiated in the 90s with the explosion of opioid scripts for pain.   The more things change…

Sport: Sports betting is winning, but are we losing …. story here.

Policy: A new report from the federal government’s Office of Inspector General finds that Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid provider networks are full of “ghosts” — behavioral health providers who are listed as in network but are not actually available to see patients. The report looked at 60 insurance across five states and found that more than half of the behavioral health providers listed in MA networks were inactive and approximately a quarter were inactive for managed Medicaid.  The same problem has been pervasive in commercial market. 

Poll: Take our annual poll on support for caregivers by clicking here.

Perspective: So today mark’s the 25th anniversary of that Halloween night I ended up in the police log: essay here.

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