Health Care

Last Wednesday, the Coalition hosted a press conference at the Capitol in Nashville with Andy Imparato, Executive Director of the American Association of People with Disabilities, and other about the proposed Amendment 9 cuts to TennCare.  In a packed room the media and advocates heard about propose cuts that would:

• Limit in-patient hospital services to $10,000 annually
• Limit coverage to 8 visits to a physician's office annually
• Eliminate coverage of hospice care
• Eliminate coverage for occupatoinal, speach, and physical therapies
• Among others reductions

Media Reports of the Event

News 4 Report - Jessica Pipkin is the face of thousands who have already seen the impact of TennCare cuts. She's a quadriplegic, and the loss of her 24-hour nursing care could force her to leave her family. To read more.

News 4 Video - Video link.

News 5 Report - The head of a national advocacy group for the disabled said Tennessee's proposed cuts to its expanded Medicaid program could eventually have a negative effect on the state's economy. To read more and see video.

News 17 Report - A car accident left Jessica Pipkin a quadrapalegic. Never looked up and I hit the inside corner of a curb and hit another car head on," said Pipkin. She's been on TennCare ever since and that's why she went to the State Capitol Wednesday to tell lawmakers she can't live with 9 doctor's visits a year. To read more and see video.

Nashville Public Radio - Dylan Brown of Hendersonville gets around in a wheelchair. He also works at the Center for Independent Living helping other disabled Tennesseans find a way to live better. To read more, including extended quotes (excerpted below).

Dylan Brown - “If I didn’t have a disability, I could live off my salary, and …pay my own way with rent and all my bills and I’d be fine, but since I do have a disability there’s a lot of costs that go along with that. And with TennCare coverage I get durable medical equipment covered, and private duty nursing covered.”

Anthony Fox, TN Mental Health Consumers' Association - "TennCare participants are the most medically and financially challenged citizens of Tennessee. Many individuals will be forced away from basic medical and mental health treatment because of the inability to pay for the co-pay of transportation."

Andy Imparato - "Tennessee has been slow to provide services and supports in the community. They’ve got a pretty disproportionate percentage of their money going to institutions, nursing homes, and other settings.”

Issues related to health care reform are vitally important to Coaliton members and constituents.  Too often, people with disabilities are forced to remain in poverty in order to have access to health care.  Chronic illnesses and disabilities often make people uninsurable in today's health care market place. 

The Tennessee Disability Coalition works with many different partners to advocate for genuine health care reform.  We are especially proud of our partnership with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  CCHD, a project of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,  provides significant funding to support the grassroots organizing and leadership development that the Coalition does with poor and underserved individuals who are working to improve their own lives and those of others, including access to affordable, effective health care.

As partners with CCHD and the Conference, the Coalition works on health care reform in ways that respect USCCB's position on health care reform and their social teaching. The Coalition does not, and will not, have membership in any alliance or organization that runs contrary to this.

On Thursday, October 22nd the Coalition was proud to be represented so well by its own Courtney Jenkins-Atnip at a rally in support of health care reform. Below are snippets of a report from National Public Radio who interviewed Courtney as well as video clips from the Rally that include excerpts of her comments.

NPR Reporting: Advocates of an expansive health care overhaul demonstrated Thursday in Washington in front of a hotel where a large trade group of major health insurers is holding a conference. Their target was America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group.

Here in Washington today, there was a protest over the health care overhaul. The demonstrators gathered not in front of the White House or the Capitol, but in front of a hotel on K Street. Why? Because that's where a powerful group of major health insurers is holding a conference.

NPR's Andrea Seabrook took in the scene.

ANDREA SEABROOK: Washington hotels are always busy with conferences, but today, the Capitol Hilton had dueling advocacy groups inside. Down one plush hallway was the trade group AHIP, America's Health Insurance Plans. Their section was cordoned off with security checkpoints. At the other end of the hall: HCAN, Health Care for America Now, a coalition of labor and left-leaning groups pushing health reform. They were holding a press conference with people who say they've been victims of bad health insurance policies like Courtney Atnip(ph) from Tennessee.

Ms. COURTNEY ATNIP: I'm just tired of health insurance dictating your quality of life.

SEABROOK: Atnip has Crohn's Disease. It's a chronic disorder of the intestines. Her doctor wanted to increase her dose of a medication that was preventing the disease from flaring up, but her health insurer deemed the drug medically unnecessary and cancelled the prescription altogether. She went for a month without it.

Ms. ATNIP: In January, they re-instated the medication, but it was too late. I was already getting really sick. May 1st, I had massive surgery at Vanderbilt Hospital that cost upwards of $750,000. 

To read the rest of the article and listen to the NPR Report.

To see rally video with Courtney's comments.

To read the stories of key speakers, including Courtney.

Congressional Meetings

In addition to the rally Courtney had a chance to meet personally with many of Tennessee's Congressmen including Representative Cooper,  pictured above right with her.

• 4 – 5:15 pm  -  Thursday, 9/3

• Church St. Park  - 600 Church St. - Nashville 37219  (Downtown across from Rep. Jim Cooper’s office)
  

• Speakers to include:  keynote speaker Rev. Ed Sanders

• Consumer health care stories

•  Gathering of 4,000 Declarations for Health Reform from Rep. Cooper’s constituents to be added to 10,000+ at second event in Murfreesboro

• Rep. Jim Cooper has been invited to attend
  

• 6:30 - 8 pm  -  Thursday, 9/3

• Allen Chapel AME Church, 224 S. Maney Ave. - Murfreesboro 37130

• Ceremony to compile 15,000+ Declarations for Health Care Reform to be boxed up & mailed to Congress

• Consumer stories

•  Call-to-action to kick off “40 Days for Health Reform”

• Rep. Bart Gordon has been invited to attend

The August Congressional recess will come to an end soon enough, but there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of health care rallies, town halls, and discussion panels planned for the coming weeks.  Below are just a handful of events, to keep up with all things healthcare in our state visit the Tennessee Health Care Campaign at http://www.thcc2.org.

8/28--Chattanooga
Rally for American
Health Care Reform
4-8 pm
Miller Park
Contact: Bambi Evans
423-667-7649
stonyirons@aol.com



8/29 -- Jackson
Rally for American
Health Care Reform
12-2 pm
Downtown - City Hall
Contact: Emily Fulmer
901-590-4873
esnyder@thcc2.org



8/29 -- Nashville
Third Rail of Health Reform –Cost
10am-4pm
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
The event is free to the public but seating is limited. RSVP @ http://www.thirdrailcost.com


8/29 -- Nashville
Jackson Day "Cover Us All" Rally - Downtown Nashville
4:30-6:30 pm
Across from Marriott Renaissance Hotel
611 Commerce Street
Contact: Freda Player 615-473-6971 or Georgia Weindling 615-308-1982


9/1 -- Maryville
Community Forum for Health Care Reform
5:30-7 pm
Blount County Library
Contact: Beth Uselton
865-357-3151
buselton@thcc2.org


9/2  -- Chattanooga
Vigil for Health Care Reform
7:30-9 pm
Coolidge Park
Contact: Bambi Evans,
423-667-7649
stonyirons@aol.com


9/3 – Nashville to Murfreesboro
Road Trip for Health Care -- Rally & Forum
Nashville to Murfreesboro
4-5:15 pm - Church St. Park - Downtown Nashville across from Main Library)
Buses take supporters from the Rally to FORUM! - 6:30-8:30 pm - Murfreesboro

Allen Chapel AME Church, 224 S. Maney Ave. Murfreesboro

Contact: Christina Kretchik, 615-227-7500; ckretchik@thcc2.org