The Chattanooga-based Community Research Council (CRC) will conduct a year long analysis on the impact of recent changes in TennCare on both health care and the local economy.

The CRC study – commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) national program – will examine both statewide data on the impact and conduct a series of local roundtables involving health care providers, social service providers and current and former TennCare recipients.

“With changes in TennCare affecting hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans, the only thing that we know for sure is that a year from now, advocates and the Governor will likely disagree as to what the real impact has been,” said David Eichenthal, President and CEO of the Community Research Council. “Through this project, CRC will independently assess impact so that future changes in TennCare can be guided by data more than just intuition.”

“This research gives us the ability to look at one of the most significant changes in state health policy at a ground level,” said Alice Burton, Director of SCI, a national program helping states develop and implement policies that expand access to health insurance coverage. “We are hopeful that CRC’s analysis will inform the future debate over TennCare, other states reform efforts and the larger national debate over access to health insurance.”

CRC will hold the first round of roundtable discussions on TennCare this month.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, CRC will hold a roundtable of social service and health care providers to discuss the impact that they have seen to date. The meeting will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the United Way of Chattanooga, 3rd floor Conference Room at 630 Market St.

On Monday, Nov. 14, CRC will hold a roundtable of current and former TennCare recipients. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Carver Recreation Complex at 600 North Orchard Knob St.

Individuals interested in attending either meeting should contact CRC by email at tenncare@researchcouncil.net or by phone at (423) 267-7766 ext 30.

Additional roundtables will be held throughout the next 12 months. In addition, CRC will also begin collecting data from hospitals and other medical providers around the state.

For more than 40 years, CRC has served the community by providing important data to guide government agencies and non-profits in shaping local public policy. Now, under new leadership and with a new Board of Directors, CRC is expanding its mission to become the premier source for independent data and policy analysis and research in our region. CRC will focus on five specific policy areas: community and economic development, crime and public safety, health, urban governance and youth.

State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) is a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that works with states to plan, execute, and maintain health insurance expansions, as well as to improve the availability and affordability of health care coverage. For more information, visit www.statecoverage.net.