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NBC Sports
25-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Supercross betting, predictions, odds, picks, lines at Pittsburgh: Chase Sexton opened as favorite
For the first time since Round 7 in Arlington, Texas, Chase Sexton opened as the sole favorite to win a Monster Energy Supercross race at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His odds of +170 to win the event are narrowly ahead of Cooper Webb (+175), underscoring the tightness of the championship race between these two riders. Bettors quickly jumped on those lines and skewed them in Webb's direction. As of Friday, Webb was favored at +150 to Sexton's +175. Webb continues to hold the advantage in regard to Championship odds with an opening minus line of -228 to Sexton's +163, but even that shows a shift in momentum. The differential between the two lines was nearly 500 points in the two previous rounds. It shrunk to 442 points for Pittsburgh and that gap will get smaller if Sexton makes up at least another three championship points on Webb in Pittsburgh. During the past few weeks, rain was Sexton's Achilles Heel in New England and the the forecast for Pittsburgh has hovered between rainy conditions during the morning sessions, clearing in the afternoon and evening. Smart Money will want to watch that forecast closely. Webb's weakness has been the whoops sections and last week's pair of them cost him a shot of pressuring Sexton. This week, there is only one half-lane of whoops in Pittsburgh that leads into back-to-back bowl turns. The only other rider with a championship line published this week is Ken Roczen (+4015), but he will need a lot of help in the form of results outside the top 20 for Sexton and Webb to truly contend. Aaron Plessinger's early trouble this season with last-place finishes in San Diego and Anaheim 2 denied him the opportunity to contend for the championship, but he shows the third-best odds of winning this round at +432. He is also the only other rider with minus odds to stand on the podium, although with +103 assigned by Supercross' official line maker, AltSports, early in the week, he was extremely attractive. His podium line has since been adjusted to -175 on the public-facing But there is still a bet to made concerning Plessinger. His outright win line was adjust to +750 and if Sexton and Webb become overly concerned with one another or if weather plays a factor, that is worth some couch cushion money. Justin Cooper remains the best bet among winless riders in 2025. He opened at +2105 and adjusted to +1600 as of Friday. These relatively long lines drug his podium odds to +125, which makes him attractive for a modest bet. Opening Odds, Outright Win Chase Sexton, +170 Cooper Webb, +175 Aaron Plessinger, +432 Ken Roczen, +682 Malcolm Stewart, +1632 Justin Cooper, +2105 Dylan Ferrandis, +3492 Justin Barcia, +4995 Logan Leitzel, +6906 Joey Savatgy, +13982 Justin Hill, +13982 Shane McElrath, +13982 Christian Craig, +13982 Colt Nichols, +15434 Benny Bloss, +15434 Dean Wilson, +15434 Mitchell Oldenburg, +15434 Bubba Pauli, +16886 Kyle Chisholm, +16886 Kevin Moranz, +16886 Tristan Lane, +16886 Justin Starling, +16886 Mitchell Harrison, +16886 Ricci Randanella, +16886 Opening Odds, Podium Chase Sexton, -199 Cooper Webb, -194 Aaron Plessinger, -103 Ken Roczen, +146 Malcolm Stewart, +272 Justin Cooper, +306 Dylan Ferrandis, +392 Justin Barcia, +473 Logan Leitzel, +633 Justin Hill, +1086 Joey Savatgy, +1140 Shane McElrath, +1181 Dean Wilson, +1242 Christian Craig, +1274 Colt Nichols, +1347 Benny Bloss, +1525 Mitchell Oldenburg, +1957 Bubba Pauli, +2894 Mitchell Harrison, +3113 Kyle Chisholm, +3283 Kevin Moranz, +4530 Justin Starling, +4787 Tristan Lane, +5192 Ricci Randanella, +7080 More SuperMotocross News Pittsburgh Preview Jerry Robin paralyzed in NJ crash New Jersey Recap | 450 Results | 250 Results Mitchell Oldenburg renews with Beta Robbie Wageman returns to racing Jorge Prado returns to training Daxton Bennick suffers compression fracture Benny Bloss renews with Beta Monster Energy SX video game features major upgrades Chase Sexton controls his SX fate
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
If you're not happy with your Medicare Advantage plan, experts offer these tips to find better benefits
Medicare Advantage plans from health insurers have grown so popular that more people are in them than in Original Medicare due to their extra benefits, out-of-pocket caps and, often, lower costs. One other thing that's grown: dissatisfaction with the plans. 'I just met with an acquaintance who'd signed up for Medicare Advantage because Costco was in the network and she'd get her glasses for a lower price. Well, this year Costco's not in that network and she's not happy about it,' says Diane Omdahl, president of 65 Incorporated, a Medicare consultant. 'The closest eye provider she would want to see is now 25 miles away.' Medicare Advantage plan switching during the 2025 annual enrollment period late last year equaled the all-time high of 2015, according to the Deft Research 2025 Medicare Shopping and Switching Study. 'A dark cloud has been forming over Medicare Advantage plans these last few years,' Deft CEO George Dippel recently posted on LinkedIn. In a recent Deft survey, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries scored the program 10 points lower than in 2024 on a scale of 0 to 100. Some Medicare Advantage insurers feeling a financial squeeze have been trimming benefits that aren't offered by Original Medicare (such as dental, vision, hearing and fitness memberships), raising premiums and deductibles, charging substantially more for prescriptions or dropping coverage of certain medications. 'Medicare Advantage providers are running a business and being profitable is a top priority for them. Unfortunately, that means a disruption in services or increased costs for some enrollees,' says Elizabeth Ayoola, host of NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. The Better Medicare Alliance, a Medicare Advantage research and advocacy organization, says Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are more likely than Original Medicare enrollees to report receiving certain preventative care services and being satisfied with the ease of getting to their doctor. However, the Alliance said in a September 2024 press release, 'millions of seniors could see disruptions to their Medicare Advantage coverage next year, including plan closures, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fewer supplemental benefits that close coverage gaps.' More than 30 health systems dropped Medicare Advantage plans in 2024 due to administrative challenges, according to Becker's Hospital CFO Report. Insurers have also been canceling some of nearly 4,000 Medicare Advantage plans (known as Medicare Part C). 'Medicare Advantage carriers terminated policies for 1.8 million members last year,' says Dippel. Despite growing frustration with Medicare Advantage plans, Dippel noted, membership has been rising because many people 65 and older believe the program is more affordable than Original Medicare. People in Medicare Advantage plans are now in the middle of the Open Enrollment period ending March 31 allowing them to either change plans or switch to Original Medicare. 'I've heard from some people who have been in their 2025 Medicare Advantage plans for a month and a half and have seen that their medications are not covered this year,' says Omdahl. 'They've got a chance to fix that now.' Says Jeannie Fugelsten Biniek, associate director for KFF's Program on Medicare Policy: 'If somebody's in a Medicare Advantage plan and they're not happy, it does not hurt to look and see if there's something else. And if a doctor they have been seeing is now out-of-network, they can see if that doctor's in network in another plan in their area.' Searching for the best Medicare Advantage plan, or determining whether to instead switch to Original Medicare, can be a chore, however. 'I think people would rather have a colonoscopy than to go through the Medicare shopping experience every year,' says Fran Soistman, CEO of eHealth, the nation's largest private health insurance market. Says Ayoola: 'While it may be stressful, frustrating and even cause a lot of financial stress, [comparing Medicare Advantage choices] could pose an opportunity for you to get a cheaper plan with better benefits.' Despite rising Medicare Advantage plan terminations, there are many plans to choose from. The average Medicare beneficiary had access to 43 plans in 2024, according to KFF. Medicare's free online Plan Finder offers a directory of all the plans where you live and lets you compare their costs and coverage. Finding a great Medicare Advantage plan isn't so easy, though. Only 7% of plans with Part D prescription coverage get 5 stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 'It's really important during this open enrollment period to take inventory of your plan, look at what benefits are available and make sure you're getting the most for the money that you are paying,' says Ayoola. Only two in five Medicare Advantage enrollees use the plans' dental or vision benefits and just one in 15 take advantage of their hearing benefits, according to a February 2025 study by The Commonwealth Fund. Keep in mind, though, that nearly all Medicare Advantage plans require prior authorization—a doctor or health care provider must get approval from Medicare before providing you certain services. McKnights Long-Term Care News reports a wave of consumer complaints and federal investigations regarding Medicare Advantage insurers' prior authorization policies. 'Last year I spoke with a gentleman who went into Medicare Advantage because he was going to save almost $200 a month on his gym membership. But then he was in a car crash and his doctor wanted him to go to a rehab facility,' says Omdahl. 'He ran into a prior authorization problem and says to me: 'What good is this gym membership if I cannot get rehab?'' 'It's not surprising that people are unsatisfied with Medicare Advantage when the cost is going up and prior authorization is an issue,' says Ayoola. In roughly half of Medicare Advantage plans, you can only go to doctors and hospitals in their network. In others, you can go out-of-network but will pay more for the privilege. For advice about Medicare Advantage plans, you can get free assistance at your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, also known as SHIP. A SHIP counselor can't recommend a particular plan, however. For that, you might want to work with a Medicare broker or agent who generally gets paid from Medicare Advantage insurers. 'A lot of people use brokers and find them helpful,' says Biniek. If you do decide to drop out of the Medicare Advantage program and enroll in Original Medicare's Parts A and B, you'll almost certainly want to also sign up for a Medicare Part D prescription plan. Because Original Medicare only pays for up to 80% of covered medical costs, you'll probably want to try to buy a Medicare Supplemental, or Medigap, plan, too. It won't be cheap. '2025 is shaping up to be the second year in a row where possibly 50% or more of MedSupp seniors may see double-digit premium increases,' Dippel wrote on LinkedIn. You'll be guaranteed Medigap coverage if your Medicare Advantage plan was cancelled. But if you're choosing to exit your plan, you can be turned down for Medigap in all but four states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York). Medicare Advantage analysts believe the Trump administration will help make insurers' plans more profitable, which could stem beneficiary complaints, rising costs and a reduction in benefits. 'I expect to see the Trump administration do some things that will give a catalyst to enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans,' says Bill Melville, lead health care research and data analyst for Clarivate Commercial Strategy Consulting at a recent Fierce Pharma webinar. EHealth's Soistman noted that the new Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and that Trump's nominee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has been a proponent of the plans. 'If you go back to the first Trump administration, it was a stable period for Medicare Advantage,' Soistman added. 'I just think there's reason for cautious optimism that the program could be entering a period of greater stability.' More on Medicare: What Medicare beneficiaries need to know about generic medications Original Medicare doesn't cover most dental work, but there are 4 other ways to get coverage Medicare has a new pilot program to help people with dementia. Here's how it works If you are denied coverage by Medicare, you have the right to appeal the decision. Here's how This story was originally featured on
