Tennessee Democratic Governor Bredesen, hang your head in shame.

[madfloridian]

A personal note: I had thought he was doing this because the GOP legislature would not cooperate. That appears not to be the truth.

Tolling of the Bell & local/national candle light Vigils for Sunday, July 31, 2005: 719,000 Tennesseans losing TennCare or benefits on July 31

First off, I dare any of you to watch this video documentary and come away feeling good about a governor who would do this.
http://tenncare.org/

Then read this at the blog:
http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/006691.html#more

Largest Public Health Cutback in U.S. History
Caroline Vernon is a member of Democracy for Iowa. You can also find her blog posts on Blog for Iowa.

"Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is executing the cruelest and largest cutback of public health coverage in the history of the United States. Every day, nearly 2,000 people enrolled in TennCare, the State Medicaid program, are receiving letters of termination or reduction of benefits. Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans, many of whom are chronically ill and disabled, are living in fear because of Governor Bredesen's decision to strip them of the only health care they have. Now, more than ever, they need your help.

Unfortunately, the national media has done very little to address this issue even though many people stand to lose their lives as a result of these drastic and unnecessary cuts. To make matters worse, internal State memos and documents, obtained by the Tennessee Justice Center, reveal that the State had orchestrated and implemented these cuts merely as a political strategy, with no regard for the consequences they are having on people's lives. The Tennessee Justice Center is a non profit, non-partisan law office. TJC represents low income families, and all of their clients are on TennCare.

The documentary, "323,000," is the culmination of a 6-month investigation into the largest health care cuts in the history of this country. In the course of the investigations, documents were discovered that definitely prove that Governor Bredesen did not tell the truth to the citizens of Tennessee when he said the reason for the drastic cuts were the fault of the Tennessee Justice Center and other TennCare advocates. In fact, as you will learn below, the cuts are part of a bigger political strategy."

PREVENT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS
This paragraph is shocking, as Bredesen says not to work with others to compromise on it:

An internal memo obtained from the Governor's office, dated November 22, 2004, entitled, "Back to Medicaid Kickoff" confirms that the administration was not negotiating in good faith. The most compelling and damning evidence that the Governor had no intention of trying to reach any settlements that might try and save TennCare is in the confidential memo that reads "Prevent alternative proposals (e.g., savings, revenue generation, enrollment)."

BREDESEN appears to be using this as a campaign issue for 06:

"The documents indicate the State's intention to "front-load" the bad news now in order to do "add-backs" later. So their strategy is to make the cuts now so they can add back some of the benefits next year in an effort to make it look as though they are helping people, but the facts are they'll be helping people that they're hurting now. On page 10 of the "Return to Medicaid" report, it states, "front load bad news, allowing add backs later". Page 3 of the "Back to Medicaid" confidential memo confirms that politics is indeed a major consideration of the overall strategy of the cuts. It states, "build back enrollment through alternative programs (e.g. CHIP) in year two". (That is next year when he runs for re-election.)

The documentary spells it out clearly. I am appalled and angered and I feel for the people who might die from this outrage so he can play games to win.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. thanks for the information

I don't live in TN, but I feel for the people that do.

[BornaDem]

2. Very sad. n/t

[AntiCoup2K4]

3. Nice going Phil

He's DLC, naturally.

[madfloridian]

4. Said a very sick woman was an poster child of liberal activists!

The bastard blamed it on her! He said she and others like here were choosing not to work for companies with health care. Here is more that he said and it is on the video:

"Sharon Cobb, Tenncare advocate and documentary producer, was tipped off that the Governor was in a bookstore which was across the street from a large rally protesting these cuts. She asked the Governor, "What do you have to say to me and people like me that will likely die without our medications?" His response was, "I don't want to blame... I won't place blame on anyone who will have to die as a result of all this." That's right, that is literally what he said."

He is written up a lot at the DLC site. Here is one. I tried to link to several at once, doesn't work.

Edit:

Health Information Networks to Improve Safety and Reduce Costs
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=252620&kaid=139&subid=275

[madfloridian]

5. He is proudly DLC. I challenge you to watch the video.

If you can watch this video and call him a Democrat, then good for you. I can't. He does not sound like one to me.

http://tenncare.org/

About 30 minutes, halfway down.

[SharonAnn]

6. You have to remember, the people of Tennessee don't want to pay for it.

It gets to a point where there is very little choice. There's no money. That's the bottom line.

And, he tried to do some other changes which would've kept more people on the rolls and provided more with prescription drugs. But Gordon Bonnyman has litigated this and litigated this and refused to compromis on anything, so the bottom-line is that it goes back to something closer to Basic Medicaid.

Other states provide much, much less than TennCare has provided. Go and criticize them.

I'm heartbroken about it, but I see what has happened. Reality is here! People here don't want to pay taxes, period. So there's no money! And the funny thing is that many of those who want TennCare coverage are voting Republican for "tax cuts".

He tried several ways to come to a less drastic solution but Gordon Bonnyman would not compromise on anything. He insisted on unlimited prescriptions for everyone, brand name prescriptions on demand, complete coverage for an enormous population with no different levels of service, etc.

The seeds for this were laid many years ago, but the chickens are here and they're roosting.

[madfloridian]

7. Did you see this paragraph?

"An internal memo obtained from the Governor's office, dated November 22, 2004, entitled, "Back to Medicaid Kickoff" confirms that the administration was not negotiating in good faith. The most compelling and damning evidence that the Governor had no intention of trying to reach any settlements that might try and save TennCare is in the confidential memo that reads "Prevent alternative proposals (e.g., savings, revenue generation, enrollment).""

Did you watch the video? They have been caught trying to blame the Tennessee Justice Center. There is an interview and documents.

This is not about the people now. It is about an administration doing things that are wrong. Watch the video.

[Eloriel]

12. Yeah, let's hear a defense of THAT, SharonAnn n/t

[madfloridian]

8. In case anyone missed the video with the documents.

And statements from people who are losing their healthcare.

[gulfcoastliberal]

9. Ob viously the people in Tennessee don't want to pay for the program

If the repuke population doesn't want to support Tenncare, then how is it supposed to be funded? Classic repuke starvation of social safety nets. Serves the repuke voters right. I hope most of the people getting cut are republicans - they're the ones who want to eliminate programs. As for the governer, sounds like a sick & vile person if he doesn't want to find any kind of alternative to salvage the program as best he can. Since he's DLC, maybe one of his corporate backers will find an alternative for him... when hell freezes over. Thic country is fucked, we're doomed, there's no doubt.

[madfloridian]

10. Did you see the documents? Did you read my post at all?

He was not even willing to try to forge alliances on it. Watch the video and read the parts I bolded. He is using it for an election year issue next year. That is not my thought, that is the thought of the people in TN who did the documentary. He tried to put the blame on other groups. They got mad, did their research, and made this film.

[gulfcoastliberal]

11. Sorry, let me clarify:

The DLC is so immoral, disgusting, and loathsome that they will allow a medicare program to die unnecessarily, potentially killing sick people, if it can be used as a campaign strategy for winning an election. I'm sorry about what he's done to Tenncare for partisan gain - it sounded like one of the best medicare safety nets in any state of the union.

[madfloridian]

13. Thanks for clarifying. It breaks my heart, too.

I know what you mean. Many in Florida are losing their Medicaid as well, though Jeb is saying it is just privatization. Many are losing coverage though, especially for drugs for mental health.

[flaminbats]

16. Sanford, Jeb, Perdue, and Bredesen belong in the same category..

:puke: Bredesen couldn't even win my vote in November, this is another reason why progressives can't rely on just one party to meet our needs!

[gulfcoastliberal]

17. I've just about had it with Florida

I moved here from Davis, CA to be close to my mom and vote in the '04 election. 2 hurricanes later and after 5 of 6 local county commissioners arrested for corruption I've about had it. They've rigged the insurance laws in Florida so the ins companies pay a pittance after the hurricanes, leaving the vast amount of payout to homeowners. Plus the way Jeb scraped the state workers' unions and the widespread fraud and corruption is sickening. Here in Escambia county the sewage plant pumps right out into the middle of Escambia bay. Totally disgusting. Up in Cantonment an International Paper mill dumps toxins into Perdido Key even as they lay off hundreds and hundreds of jobs. Escambia county has more toxic waste than the entire state of New Jersey. I shit you not:

More toxic pollution is discharged each year by industries in Escambia County, which includes Pensacola, than in 19 other states, including New Jersey - one of the most heavily industrialized states in the country.

* Death rates from all forms of cancer in Escambia County and neighboring Santa Rosa County far exceed national rates.

* Escambia County ranks in the Top 40 nationwide in emissions of neurological and developmental toxins linked to a host of birth defects and behavioral disorders.

* Escambia and Santa Rosa counties far exceed state rates for several major birth defects associated with exposure of infants and pregnant women to neurological and developmental toxins. In addition, childhood cancer rates in Escambia County have been among the highest in the nation in the 1990s.

Relevant data

The pollution statistics were easily downloaded from the Internet. The EPA's Toxic Release Inventory database is an amazing tool (www.epa.gov/tri/),

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3720/is_200207/ai_n9128552

As soon as my condo values make me a great profit I am either moving back to California or finding a wife in New Zealand and moving there - permanently.

[CTLawGuy]

14. that is in essence the DLC strategy

winning is the most important thing in the world, and if you have to be a republican to do it, then so be it.

[CTLawGuy]

15. Health care in this country is so stupid!

We have the most inefficient and wasteful health care system in the developed world.

We have a bunch of piecemeal programs that don't cover everyone and that each has its own bureaucracy. and it's all in the name of the "free market" and avoiding "socialism".

other countries have figured out how to have an efficient and universal health care system, but we just won't do it because the insurance companies are too powerful.

[AnnitaR]

18. Bredesen pushed my parents into bankruptcy!

I will never forgive this man for what he has done to them and so many others like them here in Tennessee!

My parents are 70 years old. The only income they have is their Social Security checks. My mothers is only $469. They both lost their TennCare coverage. There was no other choice for them but to file bankruptcy. Even then they will not be able to afford to pay for all of their medicine.

Bredesen can rot in hell for what he has done to them. He could have extended the elderly's prescription drug coverage until January 2006 when the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage goes into effect. However he did not. We've been told that he flatly refuses to answer any questions about why he didn't see this as an option.

This program was mismanaged from the get go. However that is not my parents fault. They shouldn't be paying the price. Bredesen had other options but he refused to take them.

This country makes me sick at my stomach. NASA can spend a Billion dollars to "fix" the Shuttle and my parents have to choose between putting food on the table or buying their medicine!

They have been good Democrats all their lives. They could never have imagined that it would have been a Democrat who cared so little if they lived or died!

[madfloridian]

19. That is so terribly sad.

The way this country is treating their seniors is unforgivable. I have worked with some folks here since I am retired, some on Medicaid who are losing most or all of their coverage. I am not in a position to help directly, but sometimes we can find someone who can. Usually not.

When I read your post, I just got tears.