It must be nice... Gov. Bredesen doesn't feel well, decides the hospital in Nashville isn't good enough, so he just flies off to the famous Mayo Clinic.
I can't have my possibly broken foot checked out because I'll never be able to pay for it. TennCare enrollees are being dropped, people with life-threatening illness and disease can get only limited care through volunteer organizations or the local hospitals eat the costs, but Gov. Bredesen can jet off to Minnesota.
Insurance costs make it nearly impossible for self-employed persons to get coverage. Those who are
covered by a group policy through their employment often cannot afford to get the treatment they need. Even out of those people that have private
insurance, or a good group insurance, how many of them can afford this kind
of choice? But Gov. Bredesen gets top-notch care - at whose expense?
Don't get me wrong, I do not wish the governor ill. I hope he fully
recovers from whatever is ailing him. I do however hope that he thinks of others "less fortunate" while he receives the care that so many others cannot. I hope as he makes decisions on his "Cover Tennessee" initiative that he remembers how fortunate he is.
And I sincerely hope that the voters of Tennessee remember in November that Tennessee's own hospitals, doctors and nurses weren't good enough for our governor, and vote accordingly.
Wendy Dibble
Chattanooga
Dibz@hotmail.com
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Ms. Dibble, did it ever occur to you that perhaps Gov. Bredesen paid for this trip himself?
June Boxman
Hixson
beach63bunny@yahoo.com
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The governor spent about four days at Centennial Medical Center last week, but doctors there were unable to diagnose his problem, thus his trip to the Mayo Clinic. It had nothing to do with the state's doctors or facilities "not being good enough."
The man is the head of state; he has something no one here can diagnose after multiple attempts; he goes to a place that specializes in difficult medical cases. And he paid for it out of his own pocket.
Ed Parry
Nashville
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Wendy, you stated that he should think about the less fortunate more. How do you kno who is the less fortunate? I mean, here is the govenor sick and they haven't even found out what is wrong with him yet(what if he were to have a fatal illness of some kind) and here is somone with a bad foot claiming they are less fortunate. My goodness, at least give him time to find out whether he is gonna live or not.
I am an American, born, bred here, lived in Tennessee all of my 67 years. Had a heart attack, had five bypasses, went back to work three weeks after I got out of the hospital.
One thing I have learned in my 67 years. Americans are the greediest, most lazy spoiled people on the face of the earth (I know, I am an American and proud of it.)
We sit around criticizing someone and don't even know what we are talking about. Sure we need insurance for our poor (I am one of them), but we are too lazy to do anything about it. I mean, I don't see anybody protesting on our senators, congressmen, etc. Instead we are holding onto the remote control and eating potato chips and griping.
Go to another country if you don't like it, because we are the ones that make it like it is. Go vote. Write your governor, senators, president and all officials. Send them petition after petition over and over with signatures from anyone you can get to sign it. Throw the TV control in the garbage and quit griping. Do something!
Bud Mansel
Bud9391@wmconnect.com
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The comment made that “Tennessee’s own hospitals, doctors and nurses weren't good enough for our governor” is totally uncalled for.
There is Medicaid for those that are in a low income bracket. Not everyone can make it at being self-employed. Tennessee’s TennCare was abused and abused terribly. You don’t hear about Georgia having GeorgiaCare, or Alabama having bamaCare. I could go on and on with that. He happens to be our Governor for the state. I would hate to think that someone would be so small-minded to vote differently because the man is only trying to find out what is wrong with him. I am quite sure there are other people that can afford to go to the Mayo clinic and DO. He does not deserve this type of bad wrap. He is a good man and a caring man for our state.
Have you forgotten that he did not accept a salary for the first year he was in office? Have you ever worked for nothing for a full year? I don’t think so. Not to mention if you are example a builder and you do not get paid for your work, the materials etc., that you purchased can be counted on your taxes at the end of the year. Gov. Bredeson didn’t have that luxury. He cared about the mess he stepped into as governor. And he cares about the state of Tennessee or else he would not have said he would not accept a salary for a full year.
Did it ever occur to you that he too could have had a threatening illness, he too could have had “a possibly broken foot” during that time he wasn’t drawing a pay check from the tax payers. It is “choice” that people make to go into business for themselves. If anyone is in need of insurance and their business is not making it then go get a job working for someone that offers you insurance. There is no “free lunch.” You obviously have a computer and you have Internet access. So let’s see now, we all know it cost money to keep a computer up and running so you can’t be that destitute.
You are just arbitrarily assuming that he just hopped on a plane and flew up there. A doctor could have requested he go to the Mayo Clinic. No one knows and he deserves his privacy as do you. He again is still our governor.
Also, there are counties in the state that offer primary care that Gov. Bredeson did NOT have to put in place for ANY of the counties had he not cared. Again, you do not see other states offering primary care as a safety net for those who do not have insurance. Before you start criticizing him, stop and think and look around you.
Jerry Tollett
Chattanooga
haleja@comcast.net