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According to the most recent report from the Tennessee Department of Health, two-thirds of all overdose fatalities are men, most of whom are aged 25-54. According to independent research, this group is also far more likely to lack health insurance.
My guest this month is Bob Merritt, CEO of Myrtle Recovery Centers in rural Scott County. Drawing on a long career in behavioral healthcare, Mr. Merritt has seen first hand how the kind of health insurance you have can significantly impact the quality of care that’s even available to you.
And that’s if you have health insurance at all, which about 10% of the Tennessee population does not.
In this conversation, we explore why it is that the people most at risk of dying of an overdose have the hardest time getting health insurance, and why that ends up costing the taxpayer. Addiction is certainly a chronic illness, but at the same time it isn’t quite exactly like diabetes or high blood pressure, and this important distinction has significant implications for the healthcare system.
Hosted and produced by Jeremy Kourvelas. Original music by Blind House.
Learn more:
Myrtle Recovery
Sycamore Institute analysis on Tennessee health insurance