Cohen: Legislature's Failure to Expand Medicaid "Literally Killing Tennesseans"

Press Release

Following the release of a new report on the costs states failing to expand their Medicaid programs, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement. The report released by the President's Council of Economic Advisers this morning found that the expansion of TennCare would reduce the number of deaths in Tennessee by 220 every year, insure an additional 179,000 Tennesseans next year, provide an influx of $1.77 billion into the state's economy, and save $190 million in uncompensated care costs.

"With hundreds of thousands of uninsured citizens in our state, this report shows that the Tennessee General Assembly's refusal to expand Medicaid is literally killing Tennesseans," said Congressman Cohen. "Not only will Tennesseans die due to lack of health insurance, but those with health insurance will pay more to cover the tabs of those who are forced to use emergency rooms for care while our state's economy loses out on $1.77 billion in federal dollars and hospitals continue to close."

Congressman Cohen is a cofounder of the Congressional State Medicaid Expansion Caucus.

Source