This Red State Almost Expanded Health Insurance to 280,000 Poor People

http://www.alternet.org/red-state-almost-expanded-health-insurance-280000-poor-people-then-koch-group-got-involved

This Red State Almost Expanded Health Insurance to 280,000 Poor People -- Then Koch Group Got Involved
The health care plan was killed, revived last week, and killed again.
By Tana Ganeva / AlterNet
April 1, 2015


Tracy Foster calmly explains that when she goes to doctors, all they can do is "poke" -- she makes a poking motion with her hand -- her bladder back into place, because it is falling out of her body. She has bladder cancer. She needs to have surgery immediately, the doctors all agree, but she doesn't have insurance and can't get the operation unless she hands over eight thousand dollars up front (two thousand for the doctor, six thousand for the hospital). She doesn't have that kind of money or a health plan to cover it.

Foster had one surgery for her cancer when she was covered by TennCare, Tennessee's version of Medicaid, state-run health care for the poor. But she was dropped, she says, because her daughter turned 18 and as an adult with no dependent children she's no longer eligible for coverage. She's spent most of her life working in the health industry, tending to Alzheimer's patients in nursing homes, working in a hospital lab, administering EKGs. So she has no illusions about her situation. "They found the lymph nodes near my bladder enlarged," she sighs.

<snip>

It should not be surprising that anti-government conservatives backed by the Koch brothers gave torpedoing the plan their all. The day of the Moral Monday protest, Tennessee's chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group (David Koch heads AFP's Foundation), had relaunched its radio campaign against Insure Tennessee.

AFP-Tenn has relentlessly hammered the proposal's parallels to Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, making things exceedingly awkward for its Republican backers. "Obamacare has been a disaster. Expanding Obamacare in Tennessee will be the same," the latest ad said.

<snip>

Here's a link to the Gofundme campaign raising money for Tracy Foster's operation: http://www.gofundme.com/dvq5cs


Tana Ganeva is AlterNet's managing editor. Follow her on Twitter or email her at tana@alternet.org.




I feel such sadness and I am typing through tears of rage and compassion all at once. I have bladder cancer. If I hadn't enlisted in the Navy at 21 just so my dad would have to listen to my antiwar opinion at the Thanksgiving table in '72 I could very well be in this boat with Tracy Foster. I am being treated very well by the VA for my cancer. I will get a third surgery in a couple of weeks. And I will send a donation to Tracy as soon as I send this. Read the rest oft he article. It will make you shake in anger.

Herb Morehead aka Marble Falls.