Tennessee Republicans disappointed over ruling

Unlikely to act soon on Insure Tennessee

NASHVILLE — When most Republican legislative leaders balked at Gov. Bill Haslam’s health insurance plan for the working poor, several said they would wait for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act’s premium subsidies before acting.

If the court struck down federal subsidies in Tennessee and other states without staterun health insurance exchanges, the entire ACA might collapse, they reasoned.

But the high court’s decision Thursday upholding the subsidies surprised state GOP leaders, and Haslam said it eliminated one of the big reasons lawmakers cited for refusing to act on his plan, Insure Tennessee.

As reaction to the ruling flowed in, it was clear that Republican legislators were not swayed enough to act soon on the governor’s plan to extend health coverage to up to 300,000 lowincome working Tennesseans who lack access to insurance on their jobs or can’t afford it.

“I think there were some folks who thought this was going to totally disable the ACA and change the whole game and

lead to a total redesign of the system,” Haslam said. “For those folks who said that was one of their big issues and that we should wait and see, we now have an answer.

“Will that move the argument in a decisive way? I honestly don’t know. We’ll see.”

But Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, continued his stance that the state can wait until a new president is elected before considering a new health insurance program. He posted his reaction to the court ruling on Facebook, along with a picture of President Barack Obama and the words “Lying to America.”

“The Supreme Court today provided more shortterm relief to a long-term problem,” Ramsey wrote. “While the decision will not result in millions losing their health coverage immediately, it is clear to everyone that deep and fundamental flaws in the law remain. I look forward to 2016 and electing a president who can appropriately assess the damage and chart a course away from Obamacare.”

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, declined to sponsor the governor’s plan during the 2015 legislative session, despite that being a traditional role for a floor leader of the governor’s party. In a statement, he declined to speculate on what impact the ruling will have on Insure Tennessee’s fate.

“The Supreme Court’s opinion may be a judicial sleight of hand, but it’s the law of the land. It clears the air in that we now know many Tennesseans will keep their subsidized coverage. Next, we must focus on how best to control the costs of TennCare going forward so thousands of others won’t lose theirs,” Norris said.

Republicans hold heavy majorities in the legislature. The top three House GOP leaders also seemed disinclined to act soon on Insure Tennessee, which would be funded through the ACA’s Medicaid expansion provisions.

House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada of Franklin, who opposed the governor’s plan, suggested continued resistance.

“Now, more than ever, it is time for us to stand firm and tell Congress that it needs to clean up its own mess,” he said.

House Democratic Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh of Ripley renewed his request to the governor to call the legislature into a special session to consider Insure Tennessee, before the regular session convenes next January.

“There are many, including our speakers, who believe this issue can wait until next session. Some believe it can wait until we have a new president. As you well know, I am firmly opposed to such dilatory tactics,” Fitzhugh wrote the governor Thursday.