Haslam to talk ‘Insure TN’ in the UC next week

Gov. Bill Haslam.
Gov. Bill Haslam.

WHITE COUNTY – Gov. Bill Haslam will discuss his Insure Tennessee plan during a visit to the Upper Cumberland next week.

Haslam will speak at 12:20 p.m. at Highlands Medical Center, 401 Sewell Road, Sparta. He’s planned similar events in Knoxville, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Johnson City and Murfreesboro as part of a statewide tour to tout his Medicaid expansion proposal.

Insure Tennessee is a two year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who do not currently have access to health insurance or have limited options. According to the governor, the program is designed to reward healthy behaviors, promote personal responsibility and incentivize preventative care and healthy choices.

Haslam announced the plan in December. He says the plan would not create any new taxes or add any state cost to the budget. The hospital industry has committed that it will cover any additional cost to the state, and the program will automatically terminate in the event that either federal funding or support from the hospitals is modified in any way.

The plan would provide coverage to more than 200,000 uninsured Tennesseans earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level, valued at slightly over $16,000 a year for an individual and $27,000 for a family of three.

Most recently, Haslam issued a proclamation that calls for a special session of the 109th General Assembly to consider implementation of Insure Tennessee. The session is scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m.

Liz Engel is the editor of the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. She can be reached at liz@ucbjournal.com

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