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Brad, how did TennCare come into being? And what has happened to those who brought it about?

Gov. Ned McWhiterer (D) started TennCare in 1994 at the urging Al Gore and the Clinton's who wanted to see a HillaryCare experiment on the state level. TennCare took the basic Medicaid funding and combined it with a quasi-private managed care structure. Seven different contractors would distribute health care to the poor, children, and the uninsurable. This actually worked well for a few years. The problem was there were loopholes and unintended incentives for fraud. People in every state within a few hours driving distance of Tennessee were obtaining addresses from Tennessee acquaintances or relatives or were opening post office box addresses inside the state and enrolling in the program. The state legislature began expanding the program. Social advocacy groups began going to court to add more people to the TennCare rolls. Methadone treatment for drug addicts was included. TennCare even purchased vans for methadone clinics to transport clients to and from clinics. This drew hordes of undesirables to the state. TennCare enrollment eventually went over the Medicaid cap after which money started coming out of the state treasury. Reimbursements became slower and slower and doctors and hospitals began turning down TennCare patients. The seven contractors running the program began to pull out and the state attempted to assume their role. Anyway, it all ended in disaster. Today, the people who were supposed to be helped by TennCare are worse off than they were in 1994. Nothing happened to anybody who started this train wreck. Though many people have gone to jail for TennCare fraud, they are a small fraction of the guilty.

Here's a link:

http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/bg1357.cfm

Is TennCare still around, and if so, how do you get rid of it?

My view on Tenncare was that it was an Algore conceived trial balloon. He may not have been the driving force, but he had to have had a hand in it.