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Letters from state and national health care advocacy groups

April 28, 2005, Statement of State AARP Director Helen M. Wingard, MPA, Concerning TennCare Agreement on Medicaid Medically Needy Enrollment. 
“AARP is deeply concerned that the tentative agreement announced this week by Governor Bredesen does not resolve the desperate needs of the 323,000 TennCare beneficiaries losing their health care coverage, and offers false hope to the 97,000 individuals in the Medicaid Medically Needy category who are the focus of the agreement.”

April 1, 2005, Press release from the Children's Defense Fund: Children's Defense Fund Urges Medicaid Officials to Reject Changes to TennCare Program That Will Harm Children
“The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) urges the Bush Administration to reject a proposal from Tennessee officials that would allow the state to radically change its Medicaid program -- TennCare -- and cause significant reductions in health services for more than 550,000 poor children in Tennessee.

March 30, 2005, Letter from Marian Wright Edelman, Children's Defense Fund, to Dr. Mark B. McClellan, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 
“While CDF joins with other organizations who have expressed their concerns about the overall negative ramifications the proposed amendment will have on all TennCare enrollees, CDF wants particularly to emphasize how our most vulnerable children will be hurt if this amendment is approved as submitted.”

March 30, 2005, Letter from national health organizations to Dr. Mark B. McClellan, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 
“The undersigned organizations write to express our grave concerns about the Section 1115 TennCare Waiver Amendment submitted on September 24, 2004 and revised on February 18, 2005.”

January 11, 2005, Press release from the Children's Defense Fund: Gov. Bredesen's TennCare Proposal Would Erode Medical Protections for 600,000 Tennessee Children.
“Tennessee intends to implement a new 'medical necessity' standard that would undermine the medical decision making of health care providers.”

April 21, 2004, Memo to the TennCare Oversight Committee Re: Medical Necessity Definition from James S. Powers, MD.
“Tennessee’s proposed definition of medical necessity has great potential to harm patients. It gives state officials ultimate power to determine the definition of adequate care and which treatment would be provided, based on cost. It would deprive patients appropriate care determined to be in their best interest by their treating physician.”

September 16, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Helen M. Wingard, State Director, AARP Tennessee.
“AARP is particularly concerned that projections of savings from some of the proposals may fail to fully offset downstream increases in other medical expenses that will result from reducing timely access to necessary medical care.”

September 16, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Fran Visco, President, National Breast Cancer Coalition. 
“We believe that many of the proposed changes will directly threaten patients’ access to affordable, quality health care.”

September 16, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Mike Mizell, Chair of the Tennessee Public Affairs Committee, and Leslie Ladd, State Director, March of Dimes. 
“The March of Dimes recognizes that – like most states – Tennessee faces fiscal constraints; however, we also see the long-term benefits of investing in health care for children, a relatively inexpensive population to serve.”

September 17, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Vivian M. Dickerson, President, and Martin E. Olsen and Charles D. Adair, Tennessee Section Fellow Chair and Fellow Vice Chair respectively, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“On behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and its 47,000 physician partners in women’s health, including more than 700 practicing physicians in Tennessee, I appreciate the opportunity to share our concerns with the draft TennCare reform waiver.”

September 17, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Ruth T. Perot, Executive Director, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc.; Dr. Jeannette Noltenius, President, Out of Many, One; Fredette West, Chair of the Racial and Health Disparities Coalition and Director of the African American Health Alliance; Dr. Lucy Perez, The Cave Institute; Dr. Elena Rios, National Hispanic Medical Association; and Theanvy Kuoch, Khmer Health Advocates. 
“We write to you to express our deep concern regarding pending proposals to modify the TennCare program in ways that can be expected to have serious adverse effects on African-Americans.”

September 17, 2004, Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Judith G. Waxman, Vice President for Health, the National Women’s Law Center. 
“The National Women’s Law Center is writing to express our serious concerns about the Proposed TennCare Waiver Amendment.”

September 17, 2004. Letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen from Emil Parker, Director of Health, Children’s Defense Fund.
“The only plausible reason for requesting clarification that TennCare Standard children are not entitled to EPSDT benefits is to gain the power to eliminate such benefits for these 120,000 children at some point in the future.”