By AP
Nashville, TN – The head of a national advocacy group for the disabled says Tennessee's proposed cuts to its expanded Medicaid program could eventually have a negative effect on the state's economy. Andrew Imparato of the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of People with Disabilities joined the Tennessee Disability Coalition Wednesday to discuss cuts to TennCare, which has about 1.2 million enrollees. Governor Phil Bredesen says he needs to slash $201 million from TennCare to balance the state budget. The proposed cuts include capping many TennCare recipients' annual benefits at $10,000 and limiting them to eight outpatient procedures. But Imparato says such cuts are going to force people into emergency rooms, "and the state is going to end up having to pay more money."