Resident angry over Insure TN failure

One Hardeman County business owner is upset over the failed Insure Tennessee proposal in the Senate Committee. She said the plan would have provided healthcare which could help save her brother’s life.
Deborah Brasfield, owner of On The Square Gallery and Gifts in Bolivar, said her brother is in need of healthcare but is ineligible. Brasfield said Insure TN would have given him coverage which may help save his life. However, Brasfield said the stereotype of individuals on unemployment or government assistance is not always accurate. She said the ‘doughnut hole’ of lack of coverage for many Tennesseans is placing lives in danger.
“If you make no money and you don’t fit into one of these groups, you get no insurance,” said Brasfield.
Brasfield is referring to the groups eligible for coverage under TennCare Medicaid. Brasfield’s brother, David Turner, 57, applied for insurance coverage under the Affordable Healthcare Act but the premium he would have to pay was estimated between $600-$700 a month.
“They recommended he apply for TennCare. He received a letter and said he don’t qualify for TennCare, but he’s unemployed and basically homeless so he don’t have $600-$700 for healthcare,” said Brasfield.
The ‘groups’ of eligible coverage for TennCare Medicaid, according to the denial letter Turner received, are for the following: children under

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