Bill Haslam
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday said he will not expand TennCare rolls under the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, the governor said, he wants to use federal dollars as part of a plan to purchase private health insurance for Tennesseans who would not otherwise have access to coverage.
In a Wednesday press release, Haslam called his plan “real health care reform.” [Read more…]
To the Editor:
I just went to my first Breakfast with the Legislators, hosted by the League of Women Voters in Oak Ridge.
First, let me thank the League and the four legislators who came, representatives Kent Calfee and John Ragan, and senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally.
I appreciate the thoughtful and varied questions that were asked. I learned a lot from the legislators and the questions.
My particular area of concern was the expansion of Medicaid/TennCare in Tennessee under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Lamar Alexander
Republican politicians looked to the November elections and a possible repeal of the health care law after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the controversial bill Thursday, including its requirement that people buy insurance.
“Congress should repeal the law and then proceed step-by-step to reduce the cost of health care so more Americans can afford to buy insurance,” said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.
In a statement, Alexander said the bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was a historic mistake, and he voted against it. He said it expanded a system the nation already couldn’t afford.
Chuck Fleischmann
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said he is shocked and disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold most of a health care overhaul that includes an individual insurance requirement.
“In my view, the entire law was unconstitutional,” said Fleischmann, a Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge.
The decision was announced Thursday morning. The justices voted 5-4 to leave in place the basic provisions of the controversial health care overhaul.
