Haslam plan little known, polls shows

February 2, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated February 2, 2015 at 1:27 a.m.

by Andy Sher

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 Jan. 21, 2015.
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 Jan. 21, 2015.

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NASHVILLE -- Most Tennesseans haven't heard about Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee plan, but among the one-third who have, 49 percent said they support it, according to a Middle Tennessee State University poll released Saturday.

The Jan. 25-27 survey of 600 adults shows Haslam "has gotten a noticeable head start in promoting the measure among Tennesseans," said Ken Blake, MTSU's poll director.

State lawmakers convene Monday in a special session to consider what Haslam calls his "market-driven" take on federal Medicaid expansion. The plan would use federal dollars to extend health insurance coverage to 280,000 low-income people.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Among the 33 percent who have at least some information, 49 percent favor the proposal and 11 percent oppose it. Another 40 percent are unsure. Overall, regardless of how much they have read or heard about it, 34 percent favor the proposal, 7 percent oppose it, and 59 percent remain uncertain.

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