Comprehensive,
Accessible,
Responsible
and
Efficient Healthcare for
Tennessee.
TennCare was created by Democrat
Governor Ned McWherter through executive order in early 1994,
and has posed great challenges for both Governors who inherited it
since. House Republicans
believe the CARE principles provide a set of realistic, necessary, and
guiding concepts to whatever shape our healthcare system takes in
this new century.
In January 2003,
the new Bredesen administration
asked many members of the legislature to allow a year in which they
could take stock of TennCare and formulate a plan to remedy the
ailing program. Because TennCare
was orginally created by executive
order, and because the new Governor
campaigned on his healthcare experience, many believed the
one-year study to be a fair request.
An independent
report commissioned to evaluate the solvency of the TennCare program
confirmed what Republicans had been saying all along: TennCare can not
continue as it is today. The program is simply breaking the state's
budget.
In light of this
report, the Governor has said he plans "radical" reform to TennCare.
In an effort to start a constructive debate on this very important
issue, House Republicans adopted the
CARE principles,
guiding principles for any changes to the current healthcare system
in Tennessee.
Click on one of the following links to learn more about the CARE
principles:
COMPREHENSIVE ~
ACCESSIBLE ~
RESPONSIBLE ~
EFFICIENT
