Tennesseans need care – expanding Medicaid would do just that

Tennessee has the second highest rate of hospital closures in the country and women and people of color lack access to quality health care.

Cherisse Scott
| Guest columnist

Tennessee Voices: Cherisse Scott

Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas spoke to Cherisse Scott, founder and CEO of SisterReach.

David Plazas, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

• Cherisse Scott is the CEO and Founder of SisterReach.

Tennessee, we’re number 2. I know nobody likes to hear that. Everyone wants to be # 1. But let me assure you that you don’t want to be No. 1 on this one because Tennessee is No. 2 in the nation when it comes to hospital closures.

This is creating vast health-access deserts across the state, leaving us without adequate care, and killing us for Tenneseers with chronic, complex health problems.

There is one simple measure Governor Bill Lee could take to not only contain the hospital collapse but also insure underserved tennis fans – Medicaid is now expanding.

The expansion of Medicaid is not just a health problem, it’s an ethical, economic, and racial issue.

States that have expanded Medicaid have seen benefits for residents

When hospitals close or access to affordable care is denied, it does not affect all of us equally.

In the past year we have seen COVID-19 claim disproportionately large black lives, and one reason is the lack of insurance coverage.

Insurance is an important part of making sure someone is able to stay healthy. BIPOC Tennessee residents are severely underinsured, denying them the opportunity to make the best choices for their health, their families and the opportunity to live in dignity.

The Medicaid expansion is working, and we have proof of it. Studies have shown the impact Medicaid’s expansion had on the health and well-being of residents in the states that introduced it.

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Beyond insurance, Medicaid’s expansion is a key element in keeping hospitals in our communities where the people need them.

Hospital closings disproportionately affect rural areas, but states that have expanded Medicaid are six times less likely to close hospitals.

Increased Medicaid expansion means improved access to health care, improved long-term patient health, and could help improve Tennessee’s poor health rankings by providing more access to coverage. While we’re number two on closings, we’re also number 40 when it comes to the best states for health care. We have to do better.

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We need to improve women’s health access and outcomes

And for Governor Bill Lee, who has spent the last year wasting tax dollars to pass anti-abortion laws, he has to take some of the responsibility for why women and individuals terminate their pregnancies – many cannot afford to live , let alone expand their families.

Investing in Medicaid means investing in preventive care like full access to birth control, better access to prenatal care to reduce maternal morbidity, and more affordable wellness exams.

I firmly believe that more women would feel safe ending their pregnancy if they knew they had adequate access to Medicaid before, during, and after their pregnancy.

This includes better wages to support their families as soon as a new baby arrives.

Expanding Medicaid will not solve all of our problems. It will neither end racism in our health system nor banish white supremacy. But it will give every Tennesseer a chance for quality of life and sustainability.

We should be confident that our governor will be impartial and compassionate regardless of our party affiliation, race, or economic situation.

Every Tennessee deserves the right to lead healthy lives, raise healthy families, and live in rich and sustainable communities. Over 300,000 people in our state are uninsured and have no access to health care.

It’s time for Governor Lee to finally do the right thing.

Cherisse Scott is the CEO and Founder of SisterReach.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/tennesseans-need-care-expanding-medicaid-would-do-just-that/