President Obama took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to talk about health care with a Nashville audience Wednesday afternoon. For more than an hour, he took questions from the invitation-only crowd, including some who are uninsured and would likely qualify for subsidized care if the state expanded Medicaid.
“Given the strong history of innovation in health care in Tennessee, and given the high quality of doctors and hospitals and nurses and networks that are here, y’all should be able to find a solution,” he said.
Republican legislators have proposed accepting the federal money if it came in the form of a more flexible block grant. That pitch appears to be a non-starter with the administration.
State Rep. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville) asked for strategic help in passing Governor Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee plan, which has been voted down twice in legislative committees. President Obama said he’s no expert on the state’s politics, but he suggested sharing the personal stories of those who are affected with as many skeptics as possible.
“Washington is kind of a crazy place, but that doesn’t mean every place has got to be crazy,” he said. “I’d like to see some good sense spring forth from the great state of Tennessee. See if we can get this thing done.”
A retiree from Mount Juliet on an Obamacare plan inquired about the hefty premium increases proposed in Tennessee. The president pointed out that Tennessee’s rates were below the national average. He also encouraged the state’s insurance commissioner to make companies defend desired premium hikes.
Republicans pounced on the premiums to criticize the president’s visit.
“The fact that he did this against the backdrop of skyrocketing health insurance costs across the country reveals how tone deaf this Administration is,” TNGOP party chairman Ryan Haynes said in a statement. “Tennesseans are staring at an average rate increase of 22 percent. That is an alarming figure for citizens who were told ObamaCare would drive healthcare costs down.”
None of Tennessee’s current Republican leadership attended the event, including Gov. Haslam. His office gave no explanation of his whereabouts. Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican whose family founded hospital operator HCA, was in the room and was even named by the president in his introduction.
While the crowd was largely friendly, some did have tough questions.
David Winningham runs Mercy Community Health Care in Franklin, which is a not-for-profit clinic. He says he’s seeing more uninsured, not less.
“While his intent was to get all of these people insured, or as many as he could, what it’s actually done is put more stress, more burden on us from a financial standpoint,” Winningham said. “So what do we do about that Mr. President? Mr. Governor? Mr. state legislature?”
Lily Williams and Allie Gross contributed to this report.
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