02/07/2025
Episode #147 is with Gordon Bonnyman from the Tennessee Justice Center.
The key points from the transcript are:
- The Medicaid program in the U.S. is facing significant cuts, with the Senate version of the bill expected to remove $1 trillion from the program over 10 years. This will have a major impact on healthcare access and coverage in Tennessee.
- Medicaid provides coverage for 1.4-1.5 million Tennesseans, including 24% of the population in Dyer County. It is a crucial source of coverage for children, individuals with disabilities, and rural healthcare providers.
- The cuts threaten the financial viability of rural hospitals in Tennessee, with 9 hospitals identified as at risk of closure due to their already fragile financial state. This would have ripple effects across rural communities.
- Without Medicaid coverage, many families will be forced to delay or forgo needed medical care due to the high costs, putting their health and financial security at risk.
- Advocacy groups are urging the public to contact their members of Congress to voice opposition to the Medicaid cuts and call for a more measured approach that protects healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
Call to action: Contact your Congressperson. You can call the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121
Your link to listen to this episode is https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/P8O93zK6FUb
Or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-kellan/id1480164076?i=1000715460193
Tennessee Justice Center will have a briefing at 11:30 CST today. Register at https://www.tnjustice.org/event-details/the-wednesday-brief-medicaid-snap-in-focus-2025-07-02-11-30
Tennessee Disability Coalition
Tennessee Caregiver Coalition
Family Voices of Tennessee
