Insure Tennessee."You shall not stand force against the life of your neighbor." (Leviticus 16:16)
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Our Position
There are approximately 280,000 Tennesseans without access to health care coverage. They do not qualify for TennCare/Medicaid or Medicare and do not earn enough to qualify for income tax credit subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Therefore, they cannot afford insurance through that program. With no access to health insurance, people go without other necessities to afford care or wait until their situation becomes catastrophic. Medical debt is the most common cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.
We support Insure Tennessee, the plan crafted by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Under Insure Tennessee, people aged 19 through 64 who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid and have family incomes that do not exceed 138 percent of the federal poverty level, could qualify for assistance that would enable them to obtain health insurance. This plan would be paid for through the federal match under the Affordable Care Act. Should federal contribution be reduced below 100 percent, the gap would be covered by the Tennessee Hospital Association. Thus the state would pay nothing for this assistance. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Tennessee has forfeited over two billion dollars in federal assistance and continues to forfeit $2,700,000 per day. We consider it to be unconscionable that Tennesseans continue to suffer, when our legislature will not pursue a remedy at hand.
We support Insure Tennessee, the plan crafted by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Under Insure Tennessee, people aged 19 through 64 who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid and have family incomes that do not exceed 138 percent of the federal poverty level, could qualify for assistance that would enable them to obtain health insurance. This plan would be paid for through the federal match under the Affordable Care Act. Should federal contribution be reduced below 100 percent, the gap would be covered by the Tennessee Hospital Association. Thus the state would pay nothing for this assistance. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Tennessee has forfeited over two billion dollars in federal assistance and continues to forfeit $2,700,000 per day. We consider it to be unconscionable that Tennesseans continue to suffer, when our legislature will not pursue a remedy at hand.
