TennCare Helps Tennessee Avoid Other States’ Medicaid Problems, Editorial States

Tennessee lawmakers who call for ending TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid managed care program, "ignore the Medicaid problems staring other states in the face," the Nashville Tennessean writes in an editorial (Nashville Tennessean, 2/26). State House Finance Committee Chair Matt Kisber (D) on Feb. 21 submitted a budget proposal that calls for returning TennCare to a standard fee-for-service Medicaid program, which would drop about 350,000 current beneficiaries. He said that he did not actually support such a plan, but submitted it only to illustrate lawmakers' opinions (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/26). According to the editorial, while "states across the country are having a hard time meeting budget needs due to the challenges of health care," TennCare has saved the state money by reducing the number of uninsured patients, which in turn keeps down the cost of charity care and private insurance. The editorial concludes, "TennCare is one of the nation's better stories, not the worst" (Nashville Tennessean, 2/26).