I remember reading here about the destruction to the Medicaid program in TN called Tenn Care. We at DU were talking about it often, and how it would impact so many people. This is just one of the many videos on the topic at You Tube.
From the link at You Tube:
In 2005, Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee instituted the single largest Medicaid cuts in history. This is a 3-minute trailer (the 25-minute film is available from Talking Eyes Media) that examines the unconscionable suffering caused by the TennCare cuts and the implications nationally for public health programs.
Here is more on the topic. I can not find the documentary named here in this post, but here is an excerpt from something I posted in 2005.
he documentary, "323,000," is the culmination of a 6-month investigation into the largest health care cuts in the history of this country. In the course of the investigations, documents were discovered that definitely prove that Governor Bredesen did not tell the truth to the citizens of Tennessee when he said the reason for the drastic cuts were the fault of the Tennessee Justice Center and other TennCare advocates. In fact, as you will learn below, the cuts are part of a bigger political strategy."
PREVENT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS
This paragraph is shocking, as Bredesen says not to work with others to compromise on it:
An internal memo obtained from the Governor's office, dated November 22, 2004, entitled, "Back to Medicaid Kickoff" confirms that the administration was not negotiating in good faith. The most compelling and damning evidence that the Governor had no intention of trying to reach any settlements that might try and save TennCare is in the confidential memo that reads "Prevent alternative proposals (e.g., savings, revenue generation, enrollment)."
BREDESEN appears to be using this as a campaign issue for 06:
"The documents indicate the State's intention to "front-load" the bad news now in order to do "add-backs" later. So their strategy is to make the cuts now so they can add back some of the benefits next year in an effort to make it look as though they are helping people, but the facts are they'll be helping people that they're hurting now. On page 10 of the "Return to Medicaid" report, it states, "front load bad news, allowing add backs later". Page 3 of the "Back to Medicaid" confidential memo confirms that politics is indeed a major consideration of the overall strategy of the cuts. It states, "build back enrollment through alternative programs (e.g. CHIP) in year two". (That is next year when he runs for re-election.)
I found more from Blog for Iowa in 2005.
Largest Public Health Cutback in United States HistoryTennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is executing the cruelest and largest cutback of public health coverage in the history of the United States. Every day, nearly 2,000 people enrolled in TennCare, the State Medicaid program, are receiving letters of termination or reduction of benefits. Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans, many of whom are chronically ill and disabled, are living in fear because of Governor Bredesen’s decision to strip them of the only health care they have. Now, more than ever, they need your help.
Unfortunately, the national media has done very little to address this issue even though many people stand to lose their lives as a result of these drastic and unnecessary cuts. To make matters worse, internal State memos and documents, obtained by the Tennessee Justice Center, reveal that the State had orchestrated and implemented these cuts merely as a political strategy, with no regard for the consequences they are having on people's lives. The Tennessee Justice Center is a non profit, non-partisan law office. TJC represents low income families, and all of their clients are on TennCare.
The documentary, “323,000,” is the culmination of a 6-month investigation into the largest health care cuts in the history of this country. In the course of the investigations, documents were discovered that definitely prove that Governor Bredesen did not tell the truth to the citizens of Tennessee when he said the reason for the drastic cuts were the fault of the Tennessee Justice Center and other TennCare advocates. In fact, as you will learn below, the cuts are part of a bigger political strategy.
Every day here in Florida I see more and more articles about people being deprived of health care, just basic everyday health care needs.
I don't know the outcome there in Tennessee, but it must have been pretty doggone good for Bredesen to be considered for the post of HHS.
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