Tagged: TennCare

Would Jesus expand Tennessee’s Medicaid program? That’s the question a left-leaning clergy group is asking the General Assembly, and they believe the answer is yes.

Pastors and priests delivered baskets of bread loaves and paper fish to each legislator. The attempted biblical parallel is to the miracle of feeding the 5,000.

Governor Bill Haslam is saying there’s still a chance to expand TennCare and cover more of the state’s uninsured. Last week, Haslam effectively turned down billions of dollars in federal money to expand Tennessee’s Medicaid program. But after talking with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius over the weekend, he says the federal agency is sounding more receptive to his demands.

Tennessee isn’t saying “yes” to expanding the state’s Medicaid program known as TennCare. But it’s not saying “no” either. Gov. Bill Haslam made the announcement this morning to a joint assembly of the legislature, telling lawmakers he’s been working toward a “third option.”

“To leverage the federal dollars available to our state to transform health care in Tennessee without expanding our TennCare rolls,” he said.

A federal appeals court has struck down a significant portion of the $2.5 million in legal fees awarded to attorneys who have represented TennCare patients in a year-long fight with Tennessee.