The Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville.NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam spent nearly two years developing a plan he hoped could win approval in the GOP-dominated General Assembly to provide federally funded health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans.
But despite the support of hospitals, physicians, chambers of commerce, advocacy groups and others — as well as the governor’s own high voter-approval ratings — Haslam’s Insure Tennessee proposal crumpled on its first vote in the governor’s special legislative session Wednesday.
The Senate Health Committee vote was 7-4. The House never acted.
So how does that happen?
According to the governor, lawmakers and others, any number of factors figured in the failure.