Decius wrote:
] This is a post election article from Tennessee. The title was:
]
]
] ] Bredesen sees no significant effect of shift in power
] ]
] ] Tennesseans elected the first state senate majority in
] ] 140 years.
] ]
] ] On the issue of TennCare, Bredesen said, "We've always
] ] known there were two options for controlling TennCare
] ] costs so it doesn't take all the resources of state
] ] government."
]
] Five days later, he kills the program.

Well, I'm trying to figure out where the link between Bredesen, a Democrat, and the Republicans is.

] My mother is on Tenncare. She has a condition which in general
] does not contribute much to her healthcare costs. However, no
] insurance company will provide her with general health
] coverage because of it. Tenncare was really her only option.
] She pays more for Tenncare then most people do for their
] health insurance, and she doesn't get much out of it. She is
] often stuck going to ghetto Tenncare doctors who primary treat
] people who are too poor to pay. We have insurance so that in
] the event of something catastropic we're able to pay.

That's why he's been trying to save TennCare. Right now, 430,000 people in Tennessee are able to at least get some form of insurance that they normally wouldn't be able to. However, the system as it exists today is growing at such a rate that it will bankrupt the state in literally just a few years. When TennCare is dissolved, those 430,000 people will be left out in the cold and the remaining 900,000 on the rolls will have standard Medicaid coverag.

] My mother now joins the growing ranks of the uninsured in this
] country, not because she is a leech on the system, as rock
] stupid Republican fucking commentators consistantly claim
] everyone on Tenncare is, but because actuaries have decided
] that they will not cover her at any price.

You think the commentators are rock stupid? How about those that are suing the State and therefore causing the governor to dissolve the program? Drug costs are the largest single expenditure and there are some scary statistics out there... the average number of prescription drugs in the nation is around 6, I believe. The average for people in TN is will over 10! Bredesen wanted to cap the number of drugs per month at 6, with an allowance under very special circumstances after a review. The main issue that people are suing the program over is the number of drugs covered - they want a preferred drug list with negotiated prices, but no cap on how many. The end result is that most people suing for the uncapped drug amount will end up off the rolls as it is. Oh, well.

TennCare was and still is a good idea because people like your mother can't get insurance elsewhere. Sure, it's expensive, but it's better than nothing. As a die hard social liberal, I think we should just have socialized medicine with an option for privately funded doctors, much like the rest of Western Civilization...

Dolemite wrote:
] Well, I'm trying to figure out where the link between
] Bredesen, a Democrat, and the Republicans is.

See Zell Miller. Southern Democrat is no longer what it used to be. Many of them are switching party affiliation or walking as far right as possible without doing so, in order to retain support from the south which is now very much influenced by right wing talk radio. The election did create a shift in power that allowed him to take more radical actions. This went down just after the election for a reason.

] That's why he's been trying to save TennCare. Right now,
] 430,000 people in Tennessee are able to at least get some form
] of insurance that they normally wouldn't be able to. However,
] the system as it exists today is growing at such a rate that
] it will bankrupt the state in literally just a few years.

The two questions worth asking are:
A. While I agree that there is no excuse for the number of drugs people are on to be, on average, higher then in the rest of the country, its obvious that the general problem here is the massive recent increase in general healthcare costs and not these specifics. All healthcare programs are getting more expensive.
B. Tennessee is the only state in the nation with a sales tax and no supplemental source of income (like income tax, oil, or gambling.) Its not going to be sustainable no matter what they do. They can slice programs until they are blue in the face and they are going to remain bankrupt. You are the only state that does things that way for a reason, and its not because you know something no one else does. Now, ask me what I think of the national "fair tax" proposal.

Decius wrote:
] Dolemite wrote:
] ] Well, I'm trying to figure out where the link between
] ] Bredesen, a Democrat, and the Republicans is.
]
] See Zell Miller. Southern Democrat is no longer what it used
] to be. Many of them are switching party affiliation or walking
] as far right as possible without doing so, in order to retain
] support from the south which is now very much influenced by
] right wing talk radio. The election did create a shift in
] power that allowed him to take more radical actions. This went
] down just after the election for a reason.

Sure, Zell is a whack job all to himself. Bredesen is simply a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. That means he'll support all of the social initiatives that he can afford.

] The two questions worth asking are:
] A. While I agree that there is no excuse for the number of
] drugs people are on to be, on average, higher then in the rest
] of the country, its obvious that the general problem here is
] the massive recent increase in general healthcare costs and
] not these specifics. All healthcare programs are getting more
] expensive.

As Bredesen was quoted earlier saying, "I don't see why some people would rather have no loaf than half a loaf [of bread when they are freakin' starving]." We can't afford unlimited health insurance for everybody that falls into that category of uninsurable, but we certainly did try to soften the fall, so to speak.

] B. Tennessee is the only state in the nation with a sales tax
] and no supplemental source of income (like income tax, oil, or
] gambling.) Its not going to be sustainable no matter what they
] do. They can slice programs until they are blue in the face
] and they are going to remain bankrupt. You are the only state
] that does things that way for a reason, and its not because
] you know something no one else does. Now, ask me what I think
] of the national "fair tax" proposal.

Tennessee is also the only state that has made a real effort at socialized healthcare coverage. That's why people who don't even know anybody in Tennessee have been looking closely at it. Even if we did have a tax beyond the sales tax and Halls tax, I and most other fiscally conservative Tennesseeans wouldn't want an uncapped, out of control healthcare system funded by it. This ain't a Vegas buffet, it's the closest we can get to a fair distribution of what amounts to a helping hand. The lawsuits against TennCare are brought on by those who want more than a fair share. Period.

So, what *do* you think about a national "fair tax" proposal?

Dolemite wrote:
] As Bredesen was quoted earlier saying, "I don't see why some
] people would rather have no loaf than half a loaf [of bread
] when they are freakin' starving]." We can't afford unlimited
] health insurance for everybody that falls into that category
] of uninsurable, but we certainly did try to soften the fall,
] so to speak.

First, nothing about Tenncare is "unlimited." All this hyperbolic talk of people getting treated in hospital ERs for colds and the like is mostly absolute bullshit, and to the degree that its not, it will still be a problem under Medicade. This is not a "vegas buffet," and it is disingenuos to suggest that it is.

The primary problem with the "consent decrees" appears to be that people are allowed to get a medicine perscribed by their doctor for 15 days in the event that coverage is denied by Tenncare while they appeal the denial. While that seems unreasonable to me, it also doesn't fall under the category of "unlimited." I have a hard time understanding why Doctors and Tenncare are so opposed to each other on what medicines to perscribe that the differences of opinion cost enough to sink the entire healthcare program.

If this is true, THAT is where the problem lies. We have a presumption of innocence on the part of doctors. That makes sense, as you'd expect doctors to know more about a patient then the insurance company. If doctors are wrong THIS MUCH one has to wonder if you really don't need to penalize doctors in certain cases where they are perscribing too much.

You seem to be baiting me to defend the lawsuits. I can't, simply because I do not know enough about them. I haven't read them. Nor do I know any of the specifics behind the scenes. It is possible that they are indefensible. Its also possible that Bredesen is finger pointing. There are lots of questions to ask. Why can't the solution I suggest above work? Why do federal laws require more of Tennessee per enrollee then other states?

I think that this "half a loaf when they are starving" business is questionable.

One might point out that dropping 30% of the enrollees in a 2.7 billion dollar (the rest is federally funded) program causes its cost to rise by 100 million instead of 600 million. That 500 million dollar difference is about half of 30% of the overall cost of the program, so you're certainly not dropping people who are contributing the most to the problem.)

These insurance companies had no problem covering my mother as part of my father's employers health care plan. If they used the same standards of acceptance for individuals that they use for corporate employees who have bargained collectively there wouldn't be 400,000 people on these roles.

I don't even want coverage for her pre-existing condition!!! Is it socialist to expect to be treated fairly? To be evaluated under the sames standards that YOU get evaluated under? To be charged the same relative ... [ Read More (0.2k in body) ]

Dolemite wrote:
] Decius wrote:
] ] This is a post election article from Tennessee. The title
] was:
] ]
] ]
] ] ] Bredesen sees no significant effect of shift in power
] ] ]
] ] ] Tennesseans elected the first state senate majority in
] ] ] 140 years.
] ] ]
] ] ] On the issue of TennCare, Bredesen said, "We've always
] ] ] known there were two options for controlling TennCare
] ] ] costs so it doesn't take all the resources of state
] ] ] government."
] ]
] ] Five days later, he kills the program.
]
] Well, I'm trying to figure out where the link between
] Bredesen, a Democrat, and the Republicans is.

I wouldn't blame Bredesen for foul play here. He's very knowledgeable about the industry, has done almost everything he can do to save the system, and is historically socially conscientious. If anything, he's trying to reboot it because it had certain restrictions embedded in the charter that made it impossible to continue its existance. Even then, I don't think he wanted to scrap it.

] ] My mother is on Tenncare. She has a condition which in
] general
] ] does not contribute much to her healthcare costs. However,
] no
] ] insurance company will provide her with general health
] ] coverage because of it. Tenncare was really her only option.
]
] ] She pays more for Tenncare then most people do for their
] ] health insurance, and she doesn't get much out of it. She is
]
] ] often stuck going to ghetto Tenncare doctors who primary
] treat
] ] people who are too poor to pay. We have insurance so that in
]
] ] the event of something catastropic we're able to pay.

does your mother work? what about a catastropic policy coupled with a healthcare savings account?

] That's why he's been trying to save TennCare. Right now,
] 430,000 people in Tennessee are able to at least get some form
] of insurance that they normally wouldn't be able to. However,
] the system as it exists today is growing at such a rate that
] it will bankrupt the state in literally just a few years.
] When TennCare is dissolved, those 430,000 people will be left
] out in the cold and the remaining 900,000 on the rolls will
] have standard Medicaid coverag.
]
] ] My mother now joins the growing ranks of the uninsured in
] this
] ] country, not because she is a leech on the system, as rock
] ] stupid Republican fucking commentators consistantly claim
] ] everyone on Tenncare is, but because actuaries have decided
] ] that they will not cover her at any price.
]
] You think the commentators are rock stupid? How about those
] that are suing the State and therefore causing the governor to
] dissolve the program? Drug costs are the largest single
] expenditure and there are some scary statistics o... [ Read More (0.4k in body) ]

flynn23 wrote:
] I wouldn't blame Bredesen for foul play here.

I don't know if I blame him specifically. But the Republicans have been gunning for this system for years and now they've got what they want, and frankly I have little respect for the annual economic woes of a state that ought to have another revenue source and is too immature to do it. There is no one person who can be blamed for this. It is a systemic problem.

] does your mother work?

No. I haven't really worked out how to deal with this yet. I'm going to wait and see. She'll be old enough for medicade in a few years and its possible that I can manage the risks in the meantime with certain kinds of limited policies. Its also possible that another solution for people in her category will be created. We'll see...

Anyway, your other comments in this post were interesting and seem much more informed then a lot of the commentary I've read on this so far.