Insure Tennessee lacks popular support necessary for passage, some say

Despite a concentrated campaign to boost support for the insurance expansion, the governor isn’t involved in any active campaigning

Insurance News

By Lyle Adriano

Gov. Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee—an insurance expansion plan using Medicaid funding—fell short of support in the legislature, The Tennessean reported.

"The need still exists, and Insure Tennessee is the right idea," said Haslam’s press secretary Jennifer Donnals. "The governor always said something would have to change for that to happen this legislative session, and we haven't seen that opening."

Many Tennesseans have tried their best to implore Speaker Beth Harwell to bring Insure Tennessee to the House floor—even going as far as to post privately-funded billboards across the state bidding citizens to call on the Speaker to put the proposed plan to a vote.

Harwell, however, said that she could not “unilaterally bring [Insure Tennessee] to a vote” since it lacked the support needed to advance. She also noted that Haslam decided "not to pursue implementation."

The plan was pitched to the legislature well in advance of a special session in 2015. Another pitch was made in regular session in the same year. Senate committees, however, blocked the proposal due to a number of issues, such as trusting the federal government to keep funding obligations.

On the other hand, the House took up the proposal of Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, which was a joint resolution that would permit the governor to implement the program by any measure. This referendum, however, was pulled out before the committee could vote on it by Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis. Miller reasoned that he took down the proposal due to the lack of leadership and support for it.

The referendum was sent to summer study thanks to Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin.

Although Harwell has yet to take the plan to a vote, citizens agree that her leadership and influence are "essential to finding a solution". Efforts to make her move the plan forward or to consider an alternative continue, presumably until the legislature’s adjournment in April.

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