Tenn. Doctors Plead for Stay-at-Home Order with State Model Predicting Up to 40,000 Deaths NASHVILLE — (Tuesday, March 24, 2020) More than 40,000 people could die of COVID-19 if Tennesseans do not immediately reduce public interactions while the coronavirus pandemic spreads, according to local medical experts. Two Tennessee doctors, among 2,000 medical professionals, are pleading…
Responding to Gov. Lee’s Executive Order, Medical Professionals Urge Further Action NASHVILLE — Physicians who are responding to the COVID-19 epidemic in Tennessee say the governor should order Tennesseans to shelter in place. These doctors say Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order closing restaurants, bars and gyms is a step in the right direction, but it…
In response to today’s arguments in the U.S. Fifth Court of Appeals on the validity of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), challenged in the lawsuit Texas v. United States, Dr. Thomas Phelps, a retired family physician, issued the following response: “We’re getting closer to the possible repeal of the ACA. After the Fifth Circuit rules, the…
Doctors and Their Patients, Not Insurance Companies, Should Make Health Care Decisions Women’s Health Week evaluates the state of women’s health, which the Affordable Care Act improved. The ACA continues to help women by protecting the 35 percent of Tennessee women with pre-existing conditions, offering free wellness visits that focus on prevention to catch cancer…
Block Grants Would Cut, Not Increase Medicaid Funding Sandra Rice, a retired nurse practitioner and volunteer in a rural free clinic, released the following statement in response to the State Senate passing Medicaid Block Grant Legislation (House Bill 1280 / Senate Bill 1428): “The Tennessee State Legislature still refuses to expand Medicaid, resulting in the…
What Block Grants Are and What They Are Not Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, proposed block grant legislation (HB 1280) as an innovative way to cover more Tennesseans through the state’s Medicaid program TennCare. However, a block grant is not Medicaid expansion. As the Tennessee General Assembly considers House Bill 1280 to apply for a block grant, it’s important to know…
KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Dr. Eric Harman, a family medicine doctor in Kingsport, issued the following state in response to Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State address: “Many who live with mental illness are born with a genetic predisposition and others due to life circumstances or traumatic experiences. While Governor Lee is right to call…
KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Dr. Eric Harman, a family medicine physician at Mountain Region Family Medicine in Kingsport, issued the following statement after the announcement that Cumberland River Hospital will close on March 1, 2019. “Upon hearing the news of yet another hospital closure, it’s almost hard to know what to say because it’s been said…
“Misguided and Wrong”: Those Who Know Health Care the Best Say That the Judge’s Ruling on the Affordable Care Act is the Worst Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the entire Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional and should be struck down. This ruling would end protections for those with pre-existing conditions, re-implement an age tax, no…
TULLAHOMA, Tenn. – In response to tonight’s ruling by a Texas judge that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is unconstitutional, Dr. Thomas Phelps, a family physician in Tullahoma, issued the following response: “What does Sen. Lamar Alexander have to say about this ruling? Despite voting to repeal and replace the ACA last year, he at one…