Even though Nashville is in the healthcare mecca of the nation, Tennessee's health care system ranks in the lower tier of access to care, quality of care and public health. According to US News and World Report, our state ranks:
- Overall - #40
- Access to health care - #38
- Quality of health care - #23
- Public health - #43
Our Medicaid program (TennCare) is made up of $12 billion in state and federal funding, roughly 1/3 of the state's budget. I have served on the Health Committee for over 9 years and have my finger on the pulse of healthcare in Tennessee, both public and private.
I have listed below issues that I believe can move Tennessee forward.
Expanding Medicaid (TennCare)
We need to expand Medicaid now.
In 2014 the legislature voted to take away the right for the Governor to expand Medicaid without legislative approval. I voted against this because it was an unnecessary process to block expansion. The Governor then put forth Insure Tennessee, a conservative approach to expanding Medicaid. I voted in favor of this legislation, but it did not pass.
What are we losing? $1.4 billion in federal funding each year. That's nearly $4 million a day. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as ObamaCare, funds 90% of the expansion while the state covers 10%. The Tennessee Hospital Association stepped up pledging the association would cover the 10% each year. The State of Tennessee would pay nothing. Better yet, the state could leave the program anytime with no penalties.
Voting against expansion also votes against 300,000 Tennesseans currently without healthcare. Who are they? Tennessee citizens that make too much money for traditional TennCare and not enough money to qualify for the ACA. These are the folks working two jobs at low wages to make ends meet who are left with no healthcare coverage. Medicaid expansion would single handily transform the healthcare landscape in Tennessee.
Not passing Medicaid expansion is not just about a lack of coverage to our low-income citizens. According to a recent study in Forbes (Feb 2020), the non-expansion of Medicaid is the key indicator for rural hospital closures. Since 2010 rural hospital closures in Tennessee ranks number two in the nation behind Texas at 12 closures across the state.
The time for expansion is now and I will continue to fight for to expand the program.
Medical Marijuana
Laws supporting medical marijuana in Tennessee are nearly non-existent. Currently, 38 states and DC have laws allowing medical marijuana. Since being in the state legislature I have co-sponsored every single bill advocating to make marijuana legal for medical purposes. I have met with numerous people and family members of people whose medical conditions could be positively impacted with the use of medical marijuana. I have met heart-broken parents summoning unimaginable strength to care for their child who has constant seizures, cancer patients whose recovery could be sped up without debilitating pain that could easily be relieved with the use of appropriately prescribed medical marijuana; the stories are innumerable and the strength of people is both heart breaking and inspiring. I will continue to do everything I can to see medical marijuana become law.
The THC in marijuana can increase appetite and reduce nausea in cancer patients, decrease pain and inflammation for chronic aches, decrease muscle control problems for those with neuromuscular diseases, and reduce anxiety for those with post-traumatic stress syndromes. In the history of the world not one person has overdosed on marijuana, there is no reason not to pass laws that will make medical marijuana legal with proper supervision by a physician. I have never understood how people can accept that doctors prescribe opioids addicting and killing Tennesseans at a rate of three overdoses a day, but we cannot get the super majority to understand how beneficial medical marijuana, which is not addictive, can be.
Aside from the obvious revenue it would generate for the state, virtually every single poll conducted in Tennessee has Tennesseans overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, ranging from 75% to 88%. The least we can do for our neighbors, loved ones and friends suffering needlessly is to pursue the fight until Tennessee joins the ranks of forward thinking and acting states, making medical marijuana legal and accessible to those in need.
Opioids
Prescriptions for opioids hit its peak in 2012 but it's back with Fentanyl taking the lead. Overdoses continue to report at three per day, which is more than daily traffic fatalities. Even with the Tennessee Together program, Tennessee remains in the top 15 states in drug overdose deaths. We cannot take our focus off this crisis.
I have, and continue to work with, experts in the field of substance abuse and addictive disorders, health and mental health, and first responders and law enforcement as we combat this crisis. We must continue to focus on prevention, treatment and law enforcement working together to slow down this terrible addiction; an addiction that is ten times that of hunger.
Naloxone is a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses in real time, a literal on the scene lifesaver. I voted to allow law enforcement to keep NARCAN, a nasal spray of Naloxone, to fight real time overdoses and save lives on the scene. In 2019, I was one of two co- sponsors passing HB 1360, requiring the Commissioner of the Department of Health to study instances when it is appropriate and beneficial to co-prescribe naloxone with an opioid. Lastly, I have been working with the Department of Health to create ODMAP which tracks hotspots in real time to give first responders locations in real time to best distribute Naloxone. I will continue to fight for policies, practices, and procedures to incorporate this life saving prescription into everyday use.
Mental Health
Living with mental illness does not mean a person cannot have independence and the quality of life they desire. I see opportunities in which government can play a pivotal role for those with mental health issues and behavior disorders.
Access to appropriate resources and counseling can reduce common risk factors and can give a person a better chance at securing housing, navigating the criminal justice system, recognizing substance abuse addictions, and obtaining and holding a job. Society needs to get to a place where mental health is treated on the same level as physical health. It is important that we have resources allocated for responding in real time to a crisis event and services that impact prevention, intervention, stabilization and treatment of mental health and behavior disorders. We need to focus on coupling available government services with private sector resources to reduce risk factors, promote best practices, and increase positive outcomes.
Choice
After the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision, a woman's right to choose is no longer a constitutional right. Tennessee's "trigger law" immediately went into effect and now has one of the most restrictive women's reproductive laws in the nation. No exception for rape or incest, and a doctor may be charged with a felony attempting to save the life of a mother.
Abortion should be legal, safe, and rare. It is a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor, not the government. I am not in favor of late term abortion unless it is to save the life of the mother. Our goal should be for Tennesseans to come together and focus on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies that would result in less abortions in Tennessee.
I am committed to supporting legislation that will repeal the trigger law, or at the very least, provide for exemptions for rape and incest and allow doctors to save the life of a mother.
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