This story is free to read.

Advocates looking to hear from Chattanooga’s uninsured at meeting tonight

Tracy Foster, center, of Clinton, Tenn., cries after Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal was voted down by the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday in Nashville. Foster is a cancer patient who has no insurance. The proposal to extend health coverage to about 280,000 low-income Tennesseans was defeated 6-2. Tracy Foster, center, of Clinton, Tenn., cries after Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal was voted down by the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday in Nashville. Foster is a cancer patient who has no insurance. The proposal to extend health coverage to about 280,000 low-income Tennesseans was defeated 6-2.

By Kate Belz June 23, 2015 2 min read

A group of Tennessee and Chattanooga advocates are looking to hear stories from uninsured locals today as they continue a statewide tour tracking the impact of the Tennessee Legislature’s decision not to expand Medicaid.

If you go

* What: “Counting the Cost for Tennessee Communities” meeting* When: Tonight, 6 p.m.* Where: St. Elmo United Methodist Church, 4626 St Elmo Ave., Chattanooga* Who: Anyone who wishes to learn more or talk about the health care access in the Chattanooga area. The organization is particularly seeking information from those without access to health insurance and living in the health care “gap” those employed by local hospitals at risk; and those who have health insurance but are in danger of losing care provided by local hospitals at risk.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Nashville in this Feb. 4., 2015,file photo.

The Chattanooga Coalition for Insure Tennessee, in partnership with the Nashville-based Tennessee Justice Center, will hold a meeting tonight called “Counting the Cost for Tennessee Communities” at St. Elmo United Methodist Church.

At the meeting, the coalition will provide background information about the health care “coverage gap” in Tennessee, and plans to gather information from participants about the health care environment in the Chattanooga area.

“We’ve heard lawmakers who are either opposed to or have not taken a position on Insure Tennessee say time and again that they need more information about the plan’s impact,” Tennessee Justice Center Executive Director Michele Johnson said. “Our goal is to meet Tennesseans in their communities and hear from them firsthand.”

The tour comes after the state legislature decided against passing Gov. Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee proposal, aimed to provide health coverage to more than 280,000 Tennesseans.

People in the “gap” are those who don’t qualify for the state’s Medicaid program, known as TennCare – but can’t afford private insurance. Advocates say those in the gap include working families, students and more than 24,000 military veterans.

In Hamilton County, about 18,873 adults are in the coverage gap.

The Tennessee Justice Center plans to compile information provided by Tennesseans across the state to create a detailed report at the end of the summer.

Contact staff writer Kate Belz at kbelz@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.