From the Gallatin News Examiner:
TennCare disenrollment a ‘death sentence’
My father, Kennith Hodge of Gray, Tenn., is a self-employed electrician who relies on TennCare for medical coverage. Due to his income, he could not afford private health insurance. Up until this year, he only used TennCare for emergencies and regular check-ups.
In April of this year he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare cancer of the blood and bone marrow. He was admitted to Johnson City Medical Center, and later transferred to Vanderbilt, for intensive chemotherapy. Doctors said that if he were to have any chance of survival, he would need at least 6-8 chemo treatments over the next few months. They also told him that due to the chemo side effects and weakening of his immune system that he would be out of work for at least one year and would be considered disabled. He began applying for governmental assistance for help with household bills. He was approved for foodstamps, but we are still waiting to hear from the Social Security Disability office.
In the meantime, he received notice from the state that he was one of the people whose TennCare coverage would be terminated. We filled out all the proper paperwork and sent in statements from his doctors, etc., thinking that they wouldn’t possibly disenroll him during the middle of his treatments. Boy, were we wrong. He received another notice on June 29 that he did not qualify to remain on TennCare and that his coverage would terminate on July 17th. We have filed an appeal, but unless they change their minds or he can get approved for SSI, he will have to stop receiving the treatments he needs if he is to have any chance of beating this disease. The state is basically sentencing him to die.
We are holding out hope that he will be approved for SSI before his next round of chemo is to take place. That is in about four weeks. If that doesn’t happen, then I will hold the state, and Gov. Bredesen, responsible for my dad’s death. I urge the citizens of this state to do whatever it takes to keep Mr. Bredesen from getting re-elected. I know that I will definitely not be voting for him, and I will be urging others I know not to vote for him as well.
Nancy Wike
Gallatin
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Tag: tenncare
