Tenn. Drops 323, 000 Adults From Medicaid [View All]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Tennessee-Medicaid.html?oref=login

January 10, 2005
Tenn. Drops 323, 000 Adults From Medicaid
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 4:50 p.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Phil Bredesen announced Monday that he will drop 323,000 adults from the state's expanded Medicaid program to save $1.6 billion a year, but will preserve health coverage for children.

The announcement capped weeks of negotiations between Bredesen and health care advocates in an effort to save a Tennessee program that offers coverage to the working poor who make too much money to qualify for regular Medicaid.

The governor's plan ends coverage for adults who make more than the Medicaid cutoff, but retains it for more than 100,000 children whose families fall in that range.

``I say to you with a clear heart that I've tried everything,'' the Democratic governor said. ``There is no big lump of federal money that will make the problem go away. It is just not there.''

..more at AP