Tennessee AG Says Medicaid Expansion Needs Legislative Approval

Supporters of Insure Tennessee suffered another loss at the hands of the attorney general this week, and Gov. Bill Haslam potentially lost some leverage, in the ongoing debate over expanding health care coverage to low-income Tennesseans.

In a new opinion, Attorney General Herbert Slatery argued Haslam can't implement any form of Medicaid expansion without lawmaker approval.

The opinion probably doesn't change the already tenuous chances for Insure Tennessee to pass next legislative session. Although Haslam reached a deal with federal officials to provide hundreds of thousands of low-income Tennesseans with federally funded health care, fear of the Affordable Care Act and mistrust of the federal government drove the contentious debate.

Haslam repeatedly said he wouldn't pursue any expansion without legislative approval. But supporters of his controversial plan, many of whom packed legislative hearings, wanted Haslam to push forward on his own after it failed in the General Assembly earlier this year.