New Report Chronicles Tragic Consequences of Tennesseans Who Lost Medicaid Coverage

Report Is the First to Examine What Happened to People Affected by the Largest Public Program Cuts in History

Washington, D.C. – Today, Families USA released a report that examines the tragic consequences of Tennessee’s massive cuts to the state’s (TennCare) Medicaid program. The report chronicles the lives and experiences of actual people who lost their coverage entirely or who saw a dramatic reduction in crucial services and benefits.

In January 2005, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced the biggest cuts in the history of any state’s Medicaid program. Thousands upon thousands of people were seriously affected, and some even lost their lives.

“Despite enormous efforts made by Tennesseans to dissuade the governor from going forward with his cruel proposal, he decided to go forward anyway,” said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. “His cuts resulted in enormous harm to many people, some of whom lost their lives because their health coverage was taken away.”

To document the impact of these cuts, Families USA followed the real-life experiences of more than 100 people over a two-year period. The project began with monthly telephone interviews right after they lost their TennCare benefits.

The report includes a selection of stories and photos from about 40 people from across the state of Tennessee. It shows a diverse group of people with different types of health care needs, representing of the larger harm brought to vulnerable Tennesseans.

“The Governor’s proposal not only caused huge and irreparable damage to people in Tennessee, but it may create a very dangerous precedent for other states. It is important, that other states contemplating similar actions learn the lessons from this study before implementing any coverage cuts” said Pollack.

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

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202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org