After anticipation and discussion, Governor Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee plan has failed in committee, drawing the Extraordinary Session to a close and paving the way for the legislature’s regular session. In the first vote the bill faced, in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, a 7-4 vote killed the governor’s signature healthcare reform plans.
Senators Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), Becky Duncan Massey (R-Knoxville), Ed Jackson (R-Jackson) and Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) voted in favor of the bill but their support was not enough to carry the legislation out of committee.
Republican Senators Frank Nicely (R-Strawberry Plains), Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga), Mike Bell (R-Riceville), Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) and Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) voted the bill down.
The plan, if passed, would have yielded a greater level of financial security and predictability for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Clinical Practice Plans, which provide needed operational revenue for UTHSC.
The regular legislative session will begin Monday, February 9.
Tags: Insure Tennessee, Legislative Session