Newspaper editorial: Excuses must end; new leadership needed at Tennessee Medicaid program

Almost a month after an SPLC lawsuit resulted in a federal judge ordering Tennessee to provide hearings to residents whose Medicaid applications have been unreasonably delayed, state officials continue to offer excuses and shift the blame  – tactics blasted in a recent editorial by one of the state’s leading newspapers, The Tennessean.

The Nashville newspaper called on the governor to replace the director of the state’s Medicaid program, known as TennCare: “Enough. No more stalling, no more lies, and no more of the current leadership at TennCare.”

Despite applicants spending six months or longer attempting to have their cases heard, program officials – even after the judge’s order – continue to offer “only excuses and brazen attempts to shift the blame,” the editorial notes.

The state has appealed U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell’s Sept. 2 preliminary injunction granting relief to TennCare applicants.

“Apparently, it’s better in these state officials’ minds that taxpayer dollars be spent to defend their mistakes than doing the least the state could do for low- and middle-income Tennesseans who desperately need health coverage,” The Tennessean’s editorial board wrote.

The SPLC lawsuit charges that Tennessee officials erected barriers that deprived thousands of low-income people of Medicaid coverage despite their eligibility.

The complaint, also brought by the Tennessee Justice Center and the National Health Law Program, came after state officials failed to meet six of seven critical success factors required by federal health care law – easily making Tennessee the worst state in the nation for fulfilling its Medicaid obligations.