TennCare Fast Facts

* Tennessee made history by pulling away from federal Medicaid as TennCare was implemented on New Year’s Day 1994 by Gov. Don Sundquist as an answer to the state Medicaid problems
* As of December 2001 over 1.3 million people were receiving TennCare
* TennCare receives 66 percent in annual funding from the federal government
* TennCare is for people who have no other means of health insurance and the lowest age of eligibility is 19
*TennCare provides, when medically necessary, transportation, inpatient and outpatient care, prescription drugs, physician services, home health care and ambulance services along with many other benefits
* TennCare reform and improvement will be the hot topic of the 2003 Tennessee General AssemblyWhen students are protesting the budget this coming Tuesday, they are really protesting the inability of former Gov. Don Sundquist to tackle the failing TennCare system in Tennessee.
Gov. Phil Bredesen has not taken on the task either, but since it is his first year in office he has an excuse.
Students will be protesting the income tax proponents over Tennessee’s last four years and the lofty pay of higher education administrators in a campus walk-out on Tuesday, April 8.
Bredesen, unlike his predecessor, is willing to cut the budget and that fact should not be forgotten during the protests on Tuesday.
Sundquist’s budget proposals, unlike Bredesen’s, did not cut wasteful spending. It only continued adding debt despite projected shortfalls.
Gov. Bredesen is cutting all of the departments by 9 percent.
The only reason K-12 education is not being slashed is because at this time the lottery money is supposedly going to make up for the cuts to higher education.
My sources in Nashville said that the main problem in the budget continues to be that of TennCare.
The new budget has cuts adding up to $350 million yet, $380 million in new money is added to aid TennCare.
This is where the problem lies in trying to fund TennCare which is forcing students here at ETSU and other institutions to suffer from an inept insurance plan for many who benefit outside of the state lines.
Since Tennessee has the most borders of any other state this has made it easier for those who do not live in the state to enroll in TennCare.
TennCare is a politically sensitive issue because to reform it would equal a potential loss for some officials where TennCare is highly used.
Then there are the ETSU administrators and other higher education administrators whose salaries are well above the six- digit dollar sign.
Students pay for these salaries through tuition and other added expenses.
Along with six-digit salaries, some even have transportation and housing provided by the state.
Maybe we could house some of the students with these administrators and they could also ride to school with them.
If it saves the students’ money, I’m for it.
Unlike the federal government, tax cuts are not in the picture for Tennessee and neither is implementing an income tax at this point in Bredesen’s budget.
An immediate stimulus package is what the doctor should order for Tennessee’s businesses.
Local 1st legislative district Rep. Steve Godsey believes this should come in the form of an accelerated depreciation for businesses.
Write-offs for businesses he believes should be set at two years instead of seven as it is now. At this point the budget has not been set in stone.
The budget has been sent to the House of Representatives in which it will be shaped. Then it must pass the Senate and the governor must sign it.
I believe at this point it would be premature to protest the budget but rather keep the new governor, his administration and your local elected officials accountable.
Bredesen is presently working on a nonpartisan budget. All residents should give him a chance to prove himslef as a fiscally responsible governor before they protest.

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