Tenn. Drops 323, 000 Adults From Medicaid

[Florida_Geek]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Tennessee-Medicaid.html?oref=login

January 10, 2005
Tenn. Drops 323, 000 Adults From Medicaid
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 4:50 p.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Phil Bredesen announced Monday that he will drop 323,000 adults from the state's expanded Medicaid program to save $1.6 billion a year, but will preserve health coverage for children.

The announcement capped weeks of negotiations between Bredesen and health care advocates in an effort to save a Tennessee program that offers coverage to the working poor who make too much money to qualify for regular Medicaid.

The governor's plan ends coverage for adults who make more than the Medicaid cutoff, but retains it for more than 100,000 children whose families fall in that range.

``I say to you with a clear heart that I've tried everything,'' the Democratic governor said. ``There is no big lump of federal money that will make the problem go away. It is just not there.''

..more at AP

[rodeodance]

1. sign of the times (sadly)=money for wars but for healthcare

[SharonAnn]

28. It's sad, but Tennesseans want to pay low taxes. The reason that

Tenncare is a bigger part of our budget than Medicaid is for most other states is because our budget is so small!

There is, of course, some fraud that should've been taken care of in the previous administration but wasn't. Money went to firms administering the program but few requirements for data systems were made. That meant that Bredesen had to start with getting the proper information systems in place to even tackle it. You can't check if people are getting pain pills from 12 different pharmacies if you have no way to compare the information from the various 'managers".

Anyway, it's a sad, sad day. I've only been here 5 years but I think this state is perhaps hopeless. Out of all the states I've live in, I've never said that before.

So, as a recovering alcoholic, I figure that cutting TennCare could be a way of hitting a kind of "bottom". We have a few more "bottoms" we'll have to get to before the people might wake up. When you won't pay taxes, you can't have the government payments/coverages that you want.

[musette_sf]

2. "I say to you with a clear heart

that we are just culling the herd, nothing to see here, move along."

[jdj]

29. these are the folks that are emotionally and mentally unstable, too

many are unemployable, and buy their meds with medicaid.

For shame, now they shall be loosed unmedicated on the public.

[musette_sf]

31. Then they can go to prison

where they can boost some rat-ass county's population figures, and fester away, since they are clearly not worth a rat's ass of Compassionate Conservatism.

[central scrutinizer]

3. "states race to the bottom"

I want my state to be the meanest, most cold-hearted sumbitch on the block so we can export our losers and parasites to your state. <sarcasm off>

[Sgent]

5. This was proposed and passed

By a Democratic govenor with a state legislature with heavy democratic representation.

And we wonder why the working people don't support Democrats?

[Just Me]

18. The public wealth has been usurped by the neoCONimperialists,...

,...and funnelled into corporate pockets. What the hell do you expect? Those programs were/are heavily dependent upon federal funding which collected FAIR taxes based upon a progressive program!!!

This is the disease which will spread due to a neoCONimperialist rule which serves corporate interests over the people's interests.

Don't Blame ME!!! I Voted For the Other Guy!!!"

[NYC]

4. Many financial burdens are being placed on states

due to federal cuts.

[rkc3]

7. Yup - a lot of us got $20 federal tax breaks and saw our state taxes

double.

[NYC]

9. That was the plan.

Unfortunately.

[Supersedeas]

39. same here...not counting local/county property taxes

[flaminbats]

16. even more financial burdens are placed by the state sales tax..

Phil Bredesen is one Democrat..whose defeat I shall enjoy. :spank:

[Harry S Truman]

35. Yes, but...

...seldom does the Mainstream State Media ever portray the truth that way. They'll blame the state when the real culprits are the Bush organized crime figures in Washington. This is money stolen from the states by them and handed to the ultra-rich and the corporations.

There are answers: Revolution. Secession. They want to play starve the beast with programs, the states should play starve the feds. Now is the time.

[NYC]

37. I agree re "starve the feds".

Excellent idea. States do have rights. (or should)

[mbperrin]

6. Woo-hoo! Look at the ownership society take off!

Next up: Social Security! (If you let them)

[bluestateguy]

8. The blame must fall on the tax whiners who did not want an income tax

Those whiny, starch shirted, khaki pants wearing white people who banged on doors and protested at the state capitol a few years back (after being egged on by talk radio hosts) because they did not want an income tax.

[4_TN_TITANS]

10. I agree with a previous post....

If Tennesseans are so naive as to fight for the sales tax instead of an income tax, then this is the result. Bredesen is trying to make it hurt to the point that people will consider an income tax. I hate paying the same state tax for groceries that a millionare in this state pays. TAX REFORM NOW......

[Rainscents]

12. Most States will follow...

as lack of help (monies) from Federals Government, this is result. Property Tax has gone up so much in past 3 years due to lack of monies from Federal and States has to make up the money to continue on with School, highways, Medicaid and medicare... I can go on and on. Bush is taking money away from the States and giving it to CORPORATE!!! Go figure.

[Just Me]

19. Between state property taxes and insurance costs, "ownership society",...

,...is merely another fluffy term for advancing corporatism and the elite, both of which are ANTI-DEMOCRACY, ANTI-LIBERTY, ANTI-EQUALITY, ANTI-AMERICAN DREAM!!!

The neoCONimperialists are so akin to chronic abusers in that they have convinced "certain" Americans that what's horrendous is actually "good" for them,...or that they bring such abuses upon themselves by being "bad" non-loyalists and believers.

[0007]

11. We can piss it off on bogus programs and give aways to the rich

and blow it up in Iraq on a lie, but we can't take care of our own?

If those folks that are knocked off the medicaid rolls, I only hope they they didn't vote for junior and his crime cabal.

[merwin]

13. Call me naive, but...

how can you DROP 323,000 from an EXPANDED medicaid program? Seems like the point of the program would be to expand it, not drop people.

[Cambist]

14. We Have No Choice

You must know all of the details before passing judgment on this. The people being dropped were not covered under Medicaid. We only gave them insurance as part of an extended program replacing Medicare with TennCare. The law suites were going to bankrupt the state. People were averaging 12 perscriptions each.

This would have been a great program but too many people abused the system. We have no choice but to revert back to Medicaid.

[flaminbats]

17. but the rich never abuse their precious system...

Tenncare provides less than Medicaid typically does, but covered more individuals. Abuse wasn't the problem, the problem was not enough money..or no state income tax.

ohh do let us weep for those with the best eye care, insulin pumps, and best Osteoporosis & Osteopenia Treatment! The rich deserve the best doctors, best checkups, and lifesaving prescriptions.

But never mind those lazy, sick, worthless uninsured types who can't pull themselves out of bed or go to work..It doesn't matter if they have cancer, blindness, or heart disease. Fuck them all, let them die, let them burn slowly in hell, off with their damned bloodsucking heads! Conservative Christian Republocrats don't care, after all..Jesus might forgive, but we use our billions for vengeance. Remember 9/11!!!:grr:

[AlCzervik]

20. by law "suites" you mean?

who is filing law suits?

[Lars39]

21. You are talking about uninsurable people.

People that cannot get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, such as cancer. Anyone with a very serious medical condition tends to have more prescriptions.

[trogdor]

34. law suites?

You got docs to back this stuff up? I didn't hear a peep about any of this on NPR this morning.

[NashVegas]

23. It Wasn't Medicaid - It Was Tenncare

A program for people who made too much money to qualify for Medicaid.

The programs costs were spiraling out of control. IMO, this is most likely due to widespread prescription fraud, which some elements of the medical community have been all too happy to help along (HCA).

[trogdor]

36. Prescription fraud could have been dealt with.

Cancelling the program mainly for that sounds like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

[RedCloud]

15. But repugs can always wave the flag!

Every day for them is Flag Day according to democrat turncoat Ronald Reagan. To every problem they should just say, "Salute the flag!" No Medicare? Salute the flag! No jobs? Salute the flag? Want to kill some non-Christians? Salute the flag! Then enlist!

Thanks for voting red!

As Talk soup used to say,

"Sorry Tennessee!"

You know, I wonder how my state pays over a billion in taxes for that stupid national pseudo security while social security gets raided or diminished. All the Bushwhackers have done is to scare the hell out of the American people and get them to fight wars and live in ever increasing poverty.

[MasonJar]

22. This is directly attributable to GWB and his Iraq mania. The man

is totally evil; he is spreading his manure everywhere.

[sarcasmo]

24. Social Security then Medicare watch it all go away.

By making each state pay for it's own Medicare it will slowly vanish, this is the plan of the Federal Government. In a way it takes the focus off of the President and puts it on the Governor of Tennessee. Social Security will vanish and then Medicare, if Shrub three from Florida is elected in 08 all Federal Government programs will be gone and run into the ground by the individual states. All hail President Scrooge.

[VegasWolf]

25. Yes, but at least gays can't get married in Tenn. n/t

[struggle4progress]

26. "Just Die." A public service announcement from the Ownership Society.

[EndElectoral]

27. Wonder how many of them voted for Bush?

[Orsino]

32. Gore '00 Probably Sounds Good to Them Right Now

Another glimpse of the nation's future under cut-and-spend Republicans.

[leesa]

30. No taxes, no health care. I'm sure most Tenneseeans wanted this

If you voted for Bush then this is what you wanted.

[Famine]

33. It IS what they wanted

The Republicans in TN wanted TENNCARE shut down. TENNCARE equals income tax in TN and the Republicans got control of the State Senate on the income tax issue in November.

TENNCARE still exists. This is an attempt to save it and it still provides health care for the Medicaid population and the kids of the other former eligibles.

Its a very generous health care plan and 1 in 5 Tennesseans had found a way to get on it. It couldn't last the way it was.

[Selatius]

38. GWB's health care plan:

Don't get sick. ;)