As the shutdown threatens coverage, is it time to ask more of private insurers — and our state?
Tennessee made national headlines in the 1990s when it created TennCare, a Medicaid program that didn’t just follow federal rules — it led. Back then, even working adults who earned too much for Medicaid could buy into the program at an affordable, sliding-scale rate. It was far from perfect, but it gave tens of thousands a shot at coverage they couldn’t get anywhere else.…