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Lawmakers have convened a special legislative session to take up Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans.Haslam’s plan is a two-year pilot project called Insure Tennessee. The deal calls on state hospitals to pay the $74 million state share to draw down $2.8 billion in federal Medicaid money to offer coverage to more uninsured Tennesseans.The governor spent the weeks before the special session touring the state to promote his plan to lawmakers.
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* Entitlement for lawmakers should be good for Tennesseans, too* Haslam-commissioned polls finds GOP voters support Insure TN* Getting Insure Tennessee plan through legislature poses ‘real test’ for Haslam* Poll: Half of Tennesseans support Haslam’s ‘Insure Tennessee’ plan* Majority of state House Democrats ready to support Haslam’s Insure Tennessee plan* Insure Tennessee Senate sponsor Overbey says Haslam plan uses ‘conservative principles’* TN lawmakers pressured to oppose Haslam’s Insure Tennessee* Foe of Haslam’s Insure Tennessee uses Corker bill to attack Medicaid expansion plan* Sides launch ad battles for and against Insure Tennessee
NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam urged skeptical state Republican lawmakers Monday night to set aside the “easy political argument” against his Insure Tennessee proposal and embrace it as conservatives’ opportunity to improve people’s lives while attacking soaring health care costs.
“This is not Obamacare,” the Republican governor said as he addressed the GOP-dominated General Assembly on the first day of a week-long special session on the issue.
Haslam is seeking approval for what he calls his “market-driven” plan to use federal Medicaid dollars to extend health insurance coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans with a two-year pilot project.