Here’s a chance to take some action on behalf of Medicaid recipients in Tennessee, who are facing deep cuts to TennCare (the state Medicaid program) thanks to Gov. Phil Bredesen. Families USA is circulating a petition online asking him to back off his plan to cut TennCare. Here’ the e-mail I got:
Dear advocate,
As you know, Congress isn’t the only battleground in our fight to preserve Medicaid. Several states are considering deep cuts and ambitious restructuring of state Medicaid programs. Perhaps the most critical of these is Tennessee, where Governor Phil Bredesen has proposed the largest cutback of state public health programs in the history of our nation. Gov. Bredesen’s plan would strip 323,000 Tennesseans of their health coverage, including 97,000 with chronic conditions and high health care costs. His plan would also saddle 396,000 enrollees, no matter how sick they are, with arbitrary limits on their health care. It is possible–perhaps even likely–that some of these beneficiaries will become sicker, and some may even die, as a result of losing coverage. Click here to read more about Gov. Bredesen’s plan (PDF).
But I don’t Live in Tennessee–Why Should I Care?
Governor Bredesen has made no secret of his desire to export his vision for destroying Medicaid to the rest of the nation. We have set up an online petition urging Gov. Bredesen to renounce his plan to strip 323,000 Tennesseans of their health coverage. Please sign the petition and forward this e-mail to everyone you know:
Why Tennessee Matters
Although several states are considering cutting and “restructuring” Medicaid, Gov. Bredesen’s plan to “reform” TennCare (Tennessee’s state Medicaid program) is so far the most far-reaching and would do the most harm to a state’s Medicaid recipients. Furthermore, Gov. Bredesen is touting his plan as a model for national Medicaid reform. The Governor’s vision of national Medicaid reform would impose onerous cost-sharing requirements and arbitrary limits on health care services for beneficiaries, among other things.
Because of Gov. Bredesen’s increasingly visible national profile, his actions in Tennessee could have very negative national repercussions for Medicaid. In short, there is a clear danger for national Medicaid reform–as Tennessee goes, so might go the nation. Help us prevent this by signing the petition and forwarding this e-mail:
Click here to sign the petition
Families USA Confronts Bredesen on TennCare
On Friday, June 24, Governor Bredesen delivered a speech at the National Press Club touting his ideas for national Medicaid reform. Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack was there, along with three Tennesseans who rely on TennCare for their health care. During the question and answer session, Ron questioned the governor forcefully on his plan:
You are presiding over the largest state cutback of public health coverage in the history of our country. As a person who aspires to be a national politician, don’t you think you’ve got to level with the American public and be honest about the true consequences of what you are doing in Tennessee?
To find out how you can help advocates in Tennessee, visit the Tennessee Health Care Campaign’s Web site. You can find out more about Families USA’s work in Tennessee on our Web site, including our participation in “The Drive to Save Lives.”
As the fight to preserve Medicaid moves forward, we urge you to keep an eye on Tennessee and do whatever you can to support the efforts of advocates in that state.
Luis Hestres
Web Content Associate, Families USAPS–if you haven’t already, please sign the petition.
