Do what’s right, governor

Jackson (Tenn.) Sun: Gov. Bill Haslam must provide the leadership expected of him. It is past time to set aside the partisan politics of the Affordable Care Act and do what is best and right for all Tennesseans by expanding the state’s TennCare program. Haslam’s continued failure to act borders on irresponsible, and the welfare of Tennessee hospitals, the health care needs of Tennesseans, and the state’s health care delivery infrastructure will suffer.

We are no fans of the Affordable Care Act, but we are realists. The Act is the law, and its implementation continues. A key component of the Act involves drastic reductions in payments to hospitals that offset the cost of programs that provide safety nets for uncompensated care. Sequestration cuts in the spring of 2013 only added to these reductions.

Expanding TennCare will cost the state nothing, and be fully paid for by the federal government for three years. If Tennessee does not expand TennCare, those are federal tax dollars Tennesseans still will pay, but which will be refunded to other states.

Gov. Haslam must provide the leadership expected of him by ordering the expansion of TennCare and negotiating with the upcoming General Assembly to include TennCare expansion funds in the state’s budget.