NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 80 business, health care and civic groups have formed the Coalition for a Healthy Tennessee to support Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to expand Medicaid.
Haslam's "Insure Tennessee" plan would draw down federal money under President Barack Obama's health care law to provide health care to an estimated 200,000 Tennesseans..
AARP Tennessee is one of the coalition members. Shelley Courington is the group’s Advocacy Director.
"These are people who are working jobs every day and are just caught in an income-coverage gap. They go to work. They do their job, but their incomes that they make are too little to qualify for subsidies to purchase insurance on the exchange."
The governor’s plan will likely face stiff opposition from conservatives in the Tennessee Legislature. State Rep. Glen Casada is the GOP Caucus Chairman.
“They’re concerned we’re increasing entitlements. Their other concern is that it does drive up the debt. For every dollar we pull from the feds 40 cents is borrowed and we’re on a path toward bankruptcy.”
Casada does go to on to say, however, that he and some other previously skeptical lawmakers are now willing to consider the governor's deal with the federal government.