To view the recording of this program, click here.

Failure to expand Medicaid in Tennessee is severely impacting the health and welfare of Tennesseans:

• There are over 300,000 uninsured Tennesseans.
• Tennessee is second in the number of hospital closures and leads the nation in terms of hospital closures per capita.
• Many of the uninsured are essential workers whose lack of insurance places them at increased risk just to care for their families.
• Tennessee is failing to accept 900 million Federal dollars which would cover the cost of expansion for over six years.

Two online forums in November will focus on the need for Medicaid Expansion.  Forum 1, November 2, 2021, will feature a variety of professionals discussing the need for expanding Medicaid; Forum 2, November 16, 2021, will feature legislators discussing ways to achieve this goal.

Forum 1: November 2, Noon -1:30 p.m. EDT/11:00 - 12:30 CDT

Judy Roitman, Executive Director of Tennessee Health Care Campaign (THCC), will chair the panel and moderate discussions.

Dr. Kathryn Crawford, Doctor of Nursing Practice, FNP-BC, adjunct instructor in the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, who works on health policy with the Tennessee Justice Center to speak to the impact lack of Medicaid expansion currently has in Tennessee on hospitals and citizens' health.

Alisa LaPolt, Policy & Advocacy Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness to speak to the impact failure to expand Medicaid has had upon mental health services in Tennessee and anticipated benefits if expansion is approved.

Neil McBride, Former director of Legal Aid in Oak Ridge and currently on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, speaking to how failure to expand Medicaid has impacted minorities and lower income Tennesseans.

Margaret Durgin, Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, to speak to the special impact the failure to expand Medicaid has had upon Tennessee's women and children.

Click here to view a flyer for the two forums on Medicaid Expansion in Tennessee.

Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation. The link for this forum can be found on the League of Women Voters of Tennessee website: (https://www.lwvtn.org/lwvtn_events). A couple of days following the presentation, you may view the recorded presentation on the League of Oak Ridge’s website (https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge).

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is a nonpartisan political organization for men and women. It encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.