Posted on 02/05/2015 10:18:52 AM PST by SharpRightTurn
Gov. Bill Haslam said he sees no point in returning to federal officials to ask for more concessions on his health care plan after the state legislature killed the proposal Wednesday, according to the Commercial Appeal.
“I think it feels a little pointless right now to come back with the same plan. And so there has to be something that would show change (among lawmakers),” the governor told reporters after the defeat.
..Asked if he would return to the regular legislative session, which opens Monday for a three-month run, with the same plan or a modified version, the governor said: “We’re open to the idea of doing that. I think we’re not going to do it unless we have some encouragement of a path to do that, and today it’s hard to see what that looks like.
“I’m really disappointed that 280,000 people could have had health care coverage (and) at least right now it doesn’t look like we have a path to get them there. That’s the end result to me.”
…If the health plan resurfaces in any form, (Senate Majority Leader Mark) Norris said, the House will have to pass it before the Senate even considers it. “I have been told that in light of intransigence by the House to have taken any meaningful action during the special session, that if anything comes back it will have to not only move first in the House but pass on the floor of the House before the Senate will consider it.”
Further, from Andrea Zelinski: “I don’t know what the next step looks like,” the governor told reporters… “People elected us to answer problems and to come here to make a difference and we need to figure out a way to do that.”
Haslam said he’s open to further negotiating a deal with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, but said he doubts the feds can give up any more than they have already, saying “I don’t know what else we’d go and ask them for.”
The governor, like several lawmakers, said he wished he had more time. Haslam, who called the special session, said between striking a deal with HHS in December and finalizing a waiver amendment in January, he had little time to talk to lawmakers about the plan and convince them of its merits. On the other hand, he said, it was premature to sell them on the idea any earlier.
…Haslam side-stepped questions about whether he was disappointed in top Republican leaders in Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell who never extended support for his program.
“That’s not my role to play,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m really disappointed [for] 280,000 people who could have had health care coverage. At least right now doesn’t look like we have a path to get them there.”
Haslam said he won’t reintroduce the same plan but will continue to make health care a focus in a way the legislature can get behind.
“We took what I think is one of the biggest problems — that, by the way we still haven’t solved — and tried to do our very best to come up with a solution that met the framework that they’d given us to solve. And we’re going to keep doing that. I think that’s why people elected us to come here,” he said.
From The Tennessean, another Haslam comment: “I think there were certain people that just couldn’t quite get comfortable with the policy, and they had a lot of questions about, ‘We don’t trust the federal government, regardless of what you say,’ and that was a hard hurdle to get over,” Haslam said.
“For other people it was just, you know, ‘I’m just afraid that this is Obamacare.’ As much as we tried to show the difference of why this was not, some people just couldn’t get past that hurdle.”
It was going to be "free federal money" to Tennessee for a few years, to pay for adding 280,000 more people to the taxpayer-paid subsidies, so how could you pass up that kind of deal? Well, the state house and senate weren't having any of it. Though the representatives and senators are not multimillionaires like Haslam, they apparently are savvy enough to recognize a multi-billion dollar boondoggle and money pit and therefore figure out that "free money" from Mordor on the Potomac should send anyone running in the opposite direction.
So, despite the best efforts of Haslam, Tennessee has not (yet) joined the states led by Republican governors who have bitten off on the ObamaCare free money.
Free stuff for Memphis parasites.
We’re not all parasites in Memphis... just sayin’. There are a fair share of them in the middle of the state as well. Kudos to the TN legislators who saw the reality of the cost instead of the opportunity to assuage “White guilt”.
Props to the TN legislators who killed this!
Not the proper role of government.
Disappointing we’re stuck with 3 years and 11 months more of this big gubmint phony.
“Free money” like this is just like taking a “free” dog or cat into your family. You’ll quickly find even a $2.000 pure bred is cheap compared to all the food, toys and vet bills in either case. This was just like an offer of a “free” Great Dane puppy.
“Disappointing we’re stuck with 3 years and 11 months more of this big gubmint phony.”
No doubt. There seems to be a real cognitive dissonance between electing a solidly conservative legislature and also voting back in Haslam and Plaid Shirt.
Most are not all that wealthy.
““Free money” like this is just like taking a “free” dog or cat into your family.”
Good analogy.
Put up your broad brush. There were TennCare parasites statewide.
Open primary chicanery and lack of runoffs and we’re stuck with this liberal garbage.
I write from direct personal experience, having adopted two “free” dogs and two “free” cats. Not that I wouldn’t do it again, it’s just that . . .
He is trying to replace Don Sundquist as the worst Republican liberal in the Tennessee governors office. Haslam’s whole argument was word for word crap that could have flowed out of any Democrats mouth. Nothing in this rube goldberg scheme was conservative, but all smacked of big government socialism.
Beware Haslam, Sundquist II! Watch for him going for a state income tax before he leaves office.
It was nothing but an expansion of Obamacare. It was going to be “free” for a couple of years and then the TN taxpayers would be footed with the bill, with federal strings still attached, of course.
“He is trying to replace Don Sundquist as the worst Republican liberal in the Tennessee governors office. Haslam’s whole argument was word for word crap that could have flowed out of any Democrats mouth. Nothing in this rube goldberg scheme was conservative, but all smacked of big government socialism. Beware Haslam, Sundquist II! Watch for him going for a state income tax before he leaves office.”
That brought a smile to my face because last night after I heard about this vote I mentioned to my wife that Haslam was like Sundquist.
Alexander, McWherter, Sundquist, Bredesen, Haslam—what difference does it make?
I spent a little while the other night emailing every durn one of the state legislators, saying NO to Haslam’s plan. I told them to stop falling for the federal government’s “carrot & stick” that will allow them to take control. The moment any government funding is accepted by the state, we have no more say so on the matter.
Haslam said the Tennessee Hospital Association would cover the cost of Insure TN. Suuuuuure, but for how long? Wait’ll they saw how much it would end up costing them!
Several years back, thousands of Tennesseans were dumped from TennCare because 33% of the entire state’s budget was covering the cost and we just couldn’t afford it. One of the senators told me in his reply that it’s back up to 33% again. HELLO!
I cheered when I heard the news yesterday that this Bovine Scatology idea of Haslam’s was shot down in flames. It was a bad idea that was only going to screw us royally in the end.
“I spent a little while the other night emailing every durn one of the state legislators, saying NO to Haslam’s plan. I told them to stop falling for the federal government’s “carrot & stick” that will allow them to take control. The moment any government funding is accepted by the state, we have no more say so on the matter.”
Looks like your emails, and no doubt thousands of others, had an impact.
“I cheered when I heard the news yesterday that this Bovine Scatology idea of Haslam’s was shot down in flames.”
Same here. I was elated. One refressing “NO” to another gargantuan government program. Being pushed by a Republican.
Haslam must see himself as a George W. Bush mini-me, trying to match Bush’s MediPill disaster with his own “Insure Tennessee.”
Good riddance.
I heard back from several of the legislators - more than I usually do when I get on a mission like this - and most were already against the idea. A couple of them - and they were Pubbies - were all for it, though.
I never hear back from the dems, for some reason. Can’t imagine why. LOL!
But yes, I’d say they all heard from a lot of others on this issue and it made a difference. But they seem to be doing what they were elected to do - - representing their constituents. If only the jerks in DC would do the same.
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