Reply #3: The TennCare Mess [View All]

I don't want to say more than I know, and if someone knows more, please correct me, but in a nutshell, the TennCare program had turned into a budget eating boondoggle (40% of the state's budget by 2008). Remember that Tennessee is the home of the Frist family -- with medical costs skyrocketing, we couldn't afford it, so Governor Bredesen (D) -- the most honest politician you've never heard of -- tried to contain costs by cutting back items that had been abused, like taxi rides to methadone clinics and money for OTC meds. Bredesen made his fortune in the health-care industry (he's a businessman, not a doctor), so he pretty much knew what he was doing. And it probably would have worked.

Now normally, I'm all for folks taking government to court to force them to do the right thing, but in this case consumer advocates weren't looking at the big picture, and with the court's help, they forced the state to fully fund it or kill it, and the governor had no choice but to kill the whole program. It's a shame, but he's trying to keep the state afloat.

Like I said, as a Tennessee resident, this is my understanding of the situation, but I certainly won't dispute an opposing view.