House Republicans believe
that any change in TennCare should
look towards a long-range plan aimed at improving the health and
healthcare of all Tennesseans.
Patchwork solutions and past attempts at reform have resulted in a rapidly
expanding $7.1 billion dollar program and an overall health ranking of 46th
in the nation.
A comprehensive solution would be based upon a
principle of shared responsibility between all stakeholders - taxpayers,
providers, insurers, employers and enrollees.
It should also incorporate all relevant state departments and
agencies in a unified effort to address this issue, including those
agencies that track and prosecute fraud against the state healthcare
program.
Flexibility is also necessary. Various programs
within the system should be structured to target services based upon
population needs. At the same
time, we must keep our commitment to provide care for the mentally
disabled and other vulnerable populations.
An essential component of any reform must include
addressing the problem of escalating medical-malpractice insurance
premiums by working with the medical, legal and insurance communities.
Other states have seen terrible situations in which families,
especially rural families, have seen their family doctor forced out of
business because of exorbitant malpractice insurance. Though we have not yet
seen this in Tennessee, some states have large areas with literally
no immediate access to healthcare because of this problem.
We should monitor the issue of medical malpractice causing
physicians to leave the state so we do not find ourselves in that
situation.
