Have-Nots v. Have-Nots
One predictable consequence of Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s deep cuts in the state’s TennCare health insurance program for the poor and uninsured: because the program still covers women with cervical cancer and Tennesseans under 21, a 52-year-old man who recently lost his TennCare prescription coverage is accusing the state of age and sex discrimination. His name is David Atchison, he suffers from “nerve damage that leaves him in constant pain,” and without coverage his medications cost over a thousand dollars a month. Lawyers say he has no case, because there's no law requiring the state to cover anybody, let alone everybody.
Some now appear quite happy that the debate, instead of centering on why it’s so difficult for our affluent society to look after those who can’t afford to look after themselves, is now focused on whether and why TennCare discriminates: whether 18-to-21-year-olds are really “children,” as the program calls them; whether cervical cancer is worse than prostate cancer; who deserves coverage more, kids or the elderly. The idea seems to be: throw the people a few crumbs, and they’ll scratch each other’s eyes out scrambling after them.
Some now appear quite happy that the debate, instead of centering on why it’s so difficult for our affluent society to look after those who can’t afford to look after themselves, is now focused on whether and why TennCare discriminates: whether 18-to-21-year-olds are really “children,” as the program calls them; whether cervical cancer is worse than prostate cancer; who deserves coverage more, kids or the elderly. The idea seems to be: throw the people a few crumbs, and they’ll scratch each other’s eyes out scrambling after them.
1 Comments:
With all crimes up in the state of Tennessee you would think someone other than the general population would take notice and do something to get Tennesseeians jobs, I live in Bristol and we have lost most of the Factories we once had that had benifits. The appauling $28,500 average family income is close to the lowest in the nation and its very apparent the Have
Nots are getting angry. Bristol has a policy of, if the tax dollar leaves the area just pass the buck and we already have the highest taxes in at least upper east tennessee, we pay both city and county taxes on our homes. Instaed of offering tax incentives to entice new businesses into our area the city is proposing a 2 million dollar sidewalk adjaciant to the Nascar track for people that only visit 2 weeks a year to walk on.
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