Does he support the opt-out of the ACA or is he is favor of Tennessee opting in and participating? He supports the provisions of the plan apparently, but he doesn't support Tennessee signing on? I'm not sure what to make of this.

Briggs needs to read Bill Owen's op ed in today's KNS and explain whether he agrees or disagrees with Bill's assessment of medicaid expansion. That would say a lot more than this response.

I'd be very interested to hear the good doctor's ideas about how to contain costs/medical inflation rate. For example - would he support immigration reform which would allow foreign doctors to compete in the domestic physician supply bending the cost curve down as per points 4 & 5.

4) Strategies to lower the escalating costs of medical care through the use of technology and evidence based best practices.
5) Increasing the supply of physicians to improve access to medical care

And of course can we get a yes or a no on expansion. Leave the position papers and Bredesen's book behind - This is really not about how to deliver healthcare, it's whether people should have healthcare at all. It's a human rights issue. And btw - from a republican/libertarian perspective - is it OK to have the government intervene on folks' behalf with preexisting conditions to ensure they have insurance?

Thanks, people. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this was a lame response. What a cop out.

Why deny thousands of people healthcare for three years because you might have to take it away the fourth year?

I thought this statement was interesting.
"We depend entirely on a regressive sales tax (which is already one of the highest in the country) and excise and franchise taxes"

I heard once from a 'stockbroker' person that doctors are THE worst in the world in deciding where to invest because their egos make them think they know ALL about about finances.
So, if he could objectively look at Haslam's refusal to do right for our people, we are losing $2.4 million per day from the $3.3 billion we would gain by just saying NO.

So, some of the sources he listed, like KAPA...this is a great organization that indirectly is supporting TennCare expansion by currently HELPING with ACA enrollment. Guess he hasn't checked on their current projects and work for the sickest and uninsured?
And that WSJ article quoting Bredesen from 4 years ago, about all that deficit blah: Our national deficit has been cut in half in the last 5 years, with jobs growth increasing every month, by the private sector...since our 'other side in Congress' has never voted for ANY jobs bills, EVER in all the years of this Administration.
As Stacey himself said (and I love to quote him!) 'yeah, Dr. Briggs has the same positions on most things as I do'. To straddle the fence on a matter of life or death, medical care and insurance that will save lives and with him being a physician, his hedging sort of proves ole Stacey to be close to the truth.

This is just a basic D/R difference in approach and concern about the financial responsibility down the road.

It's a fairly fundamental difference.

But it seems silly to beat on Briggs because he sides with the basic approach of the party of which he has long been a member.

So, followup questions for Doctor/Colonel/Commissioner Briggs, as SnM likes to call him.

How 'bout - under what circumstances would you support taking the Federal $$ for Medicaid expansion? And/or do you think Tennessee should have set up its own exchange? Why or why not?

I am watching very closely the Medicaid expansion program in the states that participate as well as the "Arkansas" plan... I never want to experience the horrible and heart breaking period when Governor Bredesen had to disenroll 170,000 of our citizens several years ago.

NYT - In Arkansas, ‘Private Option’ Medicaid Plan Could Be Derailed

But just as the idea is catching fire in other states with Republican or divided leadership — Iowa has adopted a version of the plan, and New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah and other states are exploring similar avenues — Arkansas may abruptly reverse course, potentially leaving the 83,000 people who have signed up so far without insurance as soon as July 1. Facing pressure from conservative challengers in the May primary, several Republicans who supported the plan last year are now considering switching their vote when the Legislature votes to reauthorize its financing, possibly as soon as next week. The defection of just one Republican could kill the program, state officials said.