Tennessee House advances bill seeking to overhaul Medicaid

Tennessee would dramatically overhaul how it provides healthcare to its lower-income and disabled residents under a proposal the House advanced Thursday. The bill cleared the GOP-dominated chamber on party lines, with 68 Republicans in favor and 21 Democrats against. It's a proposal considered one of the top policy debates of the sessions, yet many in the minority party were visibly upset after being cut off from the debate and forced to cast a vote before all members had a chance to speak. "Part of the motivation to bring this legislation is not to cut services ... but ... to eliminate the cost of compliance with the federal government," said Rep. Timothy Hill, a Republican from Bluff City and one of the bill's sponsors. The measure would require Gov. Bill Lee and the Department of Finance and Administration to submit a waiver within 120 days of the bill becoming law asking the federal government to send a fixed amount of money each year in the form of block grants. If the waiver is approved by the CMS, it would then need the General Assembly's endorsement.