The second part of a forum about Medicaid expansion will be online at lunchtime Tuesday, featuring two legislators who have supported Medicaid expansion.
The legislators are Tennessee Senator Richard Briggs, a physician, and Representative Gloria Johnson, a retired educator.
The virtual forum is scheduled to start at noon Tuesday, November 16. You can register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting (learn more here).
Here is the Tuesday agenda:
Forum 2: Tuesday, November 16, noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern standard time
Judy Roitman, executive director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, will chair the panel featuring Briggs and Johnson, who will discuss the prospects of moving the legislature to approve expansion and the anticipated benefits of expansion in Tennessee.
Senator Richard Briggs, physician, representing District 7 of Knox County, has introduced a bill to expand Medicaid in Tennessee and has actively worked with THCC.
Representative Gloria Johnson, retired educator, representing District 13, Knox County, started in 2015 organizing across the state for the passage of Insure Tennessee, Governor Bill Haslam’s version of Medicaid Expansion. Today, as a member of the Tennessee legislature, she continues to work toward ensuring affordable health care for every family, a press release said.
The press release said the failure to expand Medicaid in Tennessee is severely impacting the health and welfare of Tennesseans.
According to the press release:
- There are more than 300,000 uninsured Tennesseans.
- Tennessee is second in the number of hospital closures and leads the nation in terms of hospital closures per capita.
- Many of the uninsured are essential workers whose lack of insurance places them at increased risk just to care for their families.
- Tennessee is not accepting $900 million in federal funding, which would cover the cost of expansion for more than six years.
Forum 1, held on November 2, featured a variety of professionals discussing the need for expanding Medicaid, the press release said.
Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation, the press release said. League members and regular attendees will receive a Zoom link by e-mail a few days before the presentation. Others are encouraged to access links to the presentation by registering at the League of Women Voters of Tennessee website (https://www.lwvtn.org/lwvtn_events). A couple of days following the presentation, you may view the recorded presentation on the LWVOR League’s website (https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge).
Presenting the forum are the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Health Care Campaign.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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