An exterior view of the Tennessee State Capitol building.NASHVILLE – Republican lawmakers are putting the brakes on a bill seeking to bar Tennessee from expanding Medicaid under the federal health care law.
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville announced the move at a legislative preview session Thursday hosted by The Associated Press and the Tennessee Press Association. He said he persuaded fellow Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown to park his bill to block the expansion.
“It was on notice yesterday, and not on notice today, OK?” Ramsey said.
Ramsey remains skeptical about whether Tennessee should participate in growing the program known as TennCare in the state, but said he doesn’t want to preclude the governor from examining all angles before making a decision.
Haslam said he’s “seen some growing flexibility” in the U.S. Health and Human Resources Department about which services the state would have to cover among the expanded TennCare population. He also said he wants to check with other Republican governors who have recently decided to pursue an expansion in their states.