Local leaders sign on to support Insure Tennessee


              Republican Gov. Bill Haslam presides over a meeting at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tenn., about his proposal to extend health coverage to 200,000 low-income Tennesseans, on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. It was the first of a series of discussions the governor plans to hold around the state before a Feb. 2 special session of the Legislature to take up the measure. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam presides over a meeting at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tenn., about his proposal to extend health coverage to 200,000 low-income Tennesseans, on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. It was the first of a series of discussions the governor plans to hold around the state before a Feb. 2 special session of the Legislature to take up the measure. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond is among a handful of local Republicans lining up to support Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee plan to provide health coverage to low-income state residents.

Former county GOP chairwoman Connie Weathers; former party treasurer George Jackson and current Nightside Pachyderm Club chairman John Shackleford's names were among the 100 listed in a news release.

So were those of former Chattanooga Councilwoman Marti Rutherford and local activities Mills Waterhouse and Kurt Faires; Republican Executive Committee members Bill and June Landrum of Monroe County; Monroe GOP Chairman Lowell Russell and former Coffee County GOP Chairman John Roberts.

"We support Governor Haslam's Insure Tennessee plan and will stand with Republican legislators who vote for it," said Kurt Holbert, GOP state executive committeeman for District 26 and Decatur County Republican Party chairman.

"Insure Tennessee is smart policy reform based on conservative Tennessee values. We elected a Republican government to lead the way in solving problems, in this case to reform a flawed health care system by infusing concepts that promote personal responsibility and address out of control costs. House and Senate Republicans should support increased access to insurance coverage for thousands of hard working Tennesseans who fail to qualify for Medicaid because they get up and go to work. Providing them access to care is fiscally and morally the right thing to do for our state."

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