After three days in extraordinary session, Governor Haslam’s Insure Tennessee Plan to provide healthcare coverage to 280,000 citizens living in the Medicaid Gap died in Senate Health by a vote of 7-4.
The vote count: Mike Bell – N; Janice Bowling – N; Richard Briggs – Y; Todd Gardenhire – N; Ed Jackson – Y; Brian Kelsey – Y; Randy McNally – N; Frank Niceley – N; Kerry Roberts – N; Jeff Yarbro – Y; and Rusty Crowe – N
Committees in both the House and Senate heard hours of testimony over the past three days from the administration as well as from outside groups in support and opposition to the proposal. In the end, support for the plan was not enough as legislators struggled with issues surrounding the program’s costs and distrust of the federal government’s future actions without a written agreement.
The House and Senate returned to their respective chambers late Wednesday afternoon to adjourn the extraordinary session. During the floor session, Representative Craig Fitzhugh, Minority Leader in the House, tried to bring the plan directly to the floor for a vote, but the effort failed after Fitzhugh was ruled out of order. General Assembly members will return for regular session on February 9.
Tausha Alexander
Alexander Government Relations
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615-289-2469