Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has reached an agreement with the Obama administration to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Haslam’s plan gives Medicaid enrollees two options: They can participate in a slightly modified version of traditional Medicaid or receive a voucher to pay for private health coverage through their employer.
“Some might ask why is a conservative Republican announcing we’re going to do this. No one has ever argued that we’re going to end Medicaid,” Haslam said at a press conference announcing the plan.
“The discussion has always been how do we do that in a responsible way,” he added. “It’s our hope that this opens the door in the future for innovation within our existing Medicaid program.”
Haslam, the new chair of the Republican Governors Association, said he would call a special legislative session in January for state lawmakers to consider the plan. It is expected to cover more than 160,000 low-income Tennesseans.
I’m glad for the folks getting insurance. But the GOP’s love of the private middle man only drives up costs.
Is it wishful thinking to hope that stories like this make it less likely SCOTUS will blow the whole thing up?
To those more legal system aware than I, is there any valid argument to be made that this increases the danger of ruling against something that is argued to be a typo?
TN Gov Haslem: Yep. We’re done screwin’ the poor and sick folks in Tennessee over petty politics.
Now-- Show Us the Money!™
jw1
All he’s gonna do is call a special session of the teabagger legislature. Remains to be seen if they’ll actually go for it. After all, I hear tell that Roberts is gonna gut this thing like a fish.
Right?
Well how else do you pay back your corporate interest donors?