Advocates want safety net to catch TennCare’s sickest

The Tennessean, May 12, 2008

Healthcare advocates fear that 140,000 TennCare enrollees will lose their benefits in the coming year, and are urging legislators to create a safety net. The Tennessee Health Care Campaign calls for using up to $125 million of existing TennCare budget money to treat the sickest of these enrollees, who have been exempt from annual eligibility checks and are expected to face re-evaluation. The funds would be used to treat about 20,000 people with severe mental illness and life-threatening conditions.