Chattanooga residents who attended a public hearing on Wednesday were overwhelmingly opposed to a proposed Tenncare block grant proposal. Mothers, school-teachers, medical professionals, and others voiced their disapproval at the forum held in the Chattanooga Public Library.
The block grant, which would see Tenncare receiving $7.9 billion each year, would save the state an estimated billion dollars a year. Despite the director of policy’s reassurance that eligibility would not be affected by the new block grant, his words did not assuage the concerns of those at the forum.
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem opened the forum by telling the audience, “Some are going to ask where I stand on this issue. I voted against it in the legislature.” Meanwhile, Mayor Andy Berke said block grants would lower regulation that prevents insurance fraud and stingier benefits. He said, “We do not need more reasons to regulate care.”
One speaker of the first 20 was for the block grant. He implored the room to put more trust into faith-based groups such as churches, and to give the block grant a chance. He noted that no other state in the union had such a system, so what was the harm in trying out the new method.
The other 19 speakers were strongly opposed to the idea of the block grant system.
One speaker said, “These people need all of the help they can get. This block grant would divert all of that. In 2016, Republicans in Washington, D.C. said they would come up with a better healthcare plan. They did not.”
Another told the assembly about her epileptic son, who sat next to her in a wheelchair. She told the audience that her child needed a combination of several expensive kinds of medicine in order to treat his epilepsy. She said that with the new block grant system, insurance would cover the costs of a single kind of medicine, forcing her family to pay for the others out of pocket.
“Without Tenncare, we wouldn’t be able to afford his life-saving medicine,” said the mother, “this policy would be devastating for a family like mine. This block grant would end lives. What gives them the right to deny medication; to give a budget on someone’s life.”
One Chattanoogan criticized Governor Bill Lee’s party during the forum, saying, “It’s a classic Republican idea, always about capping expenses or expanding services. Tennessee has turned its back on Medicare.”
Another mother with a two-year old child said, “Who are they thinking about? Who is it a good deal for? The bottom line? It’s not a good idea for the bottom line for my family,” while another speaker said, “Are we going to spend less on healthcare? We’re going to spend less on these children?”
One speaker stated, “if the block grant is going to help the county, I’m all for it. If not, then we need to come up with formidable solutions.”
Yet another guest blasted Tenncare, calling it “incompetent and uncaring.” The speaker called the block grant “a cruel joke. It is like looking at a sea of people drowning…….the elitist legislature in this state doesn’t care about low income people.”
A doctor took the podium and told the forum, “This block grant is a terrible idea that will threaten lives. It will fail rural lives.” He also criticized the governor for attempting to roll out this system without first consulting medical experts, a grave mistake in his mind.
“Governor Lee talks about savings. This will not save lives. It will cost Tennessee lives.”