Yesterday, governor Phil Bredeson announced sweeping changes to TennCare--including putting about half of the state's current adult recipients off the rolls and limiting benefits to those who reamin on the rolls.
Of course, within minutes, Gordon Bonnyman immediately had a statement:
''This is worse than any natural disaster that has ever befallen our state,'' said Gordon Bonnyman, an attorney with the Tennessee Justice Center.
You know, Bonnyman, if you hadn't sued, if you had shown any willingness to come to the table and help find a way to make TennCare work, this might not be happening. But in good lawyer fashion, you stuck to your guns, regardless of who suffers as a result.
I also have to wonder if by doing this Bredesen hasn't cost himself a shot at re-election. In some ways, it reminds me of what happened to George Bush (the first one). We all remember his election speech of "no new taxes" but yet he had to raise them. Bush did the right thing for the long-term good of the country, but lost re-election. Will the same thing happen to Phil?
Time will tell.
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/11/2005 03:05:00 PM |
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