As Tennessee Goes, So Might Go the Nation
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 7/26/2005
Critics of Governor Phil Bredesen's proposal to overhaul TennCare, Tennessee's state Medicaid program, are protesting his plan to drop as many as 323,000 people from the program.Although TennCare's financial strain on the state has been acknowledged by groups representing the poor, elderly and individuals with disabilities--TennCare's primary recipients--they argue that there are other ways to restructure the program without shifting the burden from the state to low-income families.
Gov. Bredesen, a Democrat, has repeatedly argued that the TennCare program is not financially viable for the state and is in need of drastic changes. His proposal seeks to set a national precedent for Medicaid reform.
Noting that one third of the state budget is devoted to the program, Gov. Bredesen argued in a June 11, 2005 radio address that "Medicaid is squeezing us beyond our ability to support it."
With 1 out of every 4 Tennesseans receiving TennCare coverage, Governor Bredesen believes it is necessary that "Everybody pays something for everything, and pays for the most important things first." Gov. Bredesen's plan to "pay for what works" would cut costs by reducing Medicaid recipients and further reducing benefits to beneficiaries.
Families USA has launched a "Don't Cut TennCare" campaign to oppose Bredesen's proposed cuts. According to the group, "Gov Bredesen's plan to "reform" TennCare is so far the most far-reaching and would do the most harm to a state's Medicaid recipients."
In addition to completely cutting hundreds of thousands of recipients from the program, the reforms would significantly limit health care services for 396,000 enrollees, and would terminate an additional 97,000 enrollees over the course of the next year, Families USA said.
