David Manning

David Manning is one of those people whose dedication to government service is largely unrecognized and yet has had an immeasurable impact for the good. As Finance Commissioner of the state under Governor Ned McWherter, and then as Finance Commissioner of Metro Nashville under Mayor Bill Purcell, David understood that a budget is a moral document. Budgets are statements of our priorities, reflections of what – and whom – we value. An ever-vigilant steward of taxpayers’ money, he devoted decades to the largely invisible work of making government more transparent, efficient and accountable. With Governor McWherter’s steadfast support, he and Manny Martins conceived, designed and implemented the TennCare program. By dramatically improving the efficiency of the Medicaid program and making skillful use of federal funding, TennCare raised rates of health coverage to levels that no other state would match until implementation of the Affordable Care Act two decades later. Because TennCare reallocated resources from vested commercial interests for the benefit of the working poor, it was always controversial, and David and Manny got more brickbats than thanks. TennCare’s unmatched success in both expanding access to care and stabilizing the Medicaid budget was confirmed, however, by numerous independent studies. That success was obscured by political actions taken by their successors that fatally altered the program’s original design. But David and Manny’s courage, skill and incredible dedication enabled hundreds of thousands of families to enjoy health and financial security that would have otherwise been beyond their reach.