A survey of websites of candidates for Tennessee governor show few specifics regarding health care. With one exception, candidates speak in general terms about improving services but without proposals for financing these changes. Seven questions need answers.
Dr. Clif Cleaveland1. Is access to health care a right or a privilege? For decades, this question has been at the heart of the debate over government engagement in health care. If you believe health care is a privilege, you may skip the remaining questions.
If health care is a privilege or simply a commodity, then it is subject to the economics of supply and demand. Health-related businesses would simply adhere to the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which do not involve health.
2. Do you favor expansion of TennCare? If not, how do you propose caring for the residents who have no health insurance? In 2016, almost 600,000 residents – 9 percent – lacked coverage. Texas had the highest rate of uninsured residents – 16.6 percent, Massachusetts the lowest at 2.4 percent.
Uninsured persons have limited to no access to recommended, preventive screenings. They lack mammograms, colonoscopies, scans for lung cancer among cigarette smokers, screening for sexually transmitted diseases. They are unlikely to receive recommended vaccinations for influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis and other communicable diseases. If there are no free clinics in their communities, their only recourse for care may be a hospital emergency room, which is the most expensive option.