NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- Democratic state lawmakers are asking President Joe Biden to scuttle the Tennessee Medicaid block grant experiment.
TennCare is Tennessee’s version of Medicaid. The state says the program provides some 1.4 million state residents with medical coverage. The plan is paid for using nearly $13 billion mostly federal dollars annually.
In 2019, Tennessee’s GOP dominated legislature approved asking for federal permission to experiment with the safety net health care funding. Then President Trump approved the idea just days before he left office.
Republicans say getting the funding as a lump sum will provide the flexibility needed to provide more poor Tennesseans with health care for less money.
Democrats worry vulnerable residents could see their health coverage reduced or terminated.
President Joe Biden is widely expected to rescind federal approval.
