Reports do abound in the press about the anti-tanning bed actions for 911 office in Rogersville. Yeah, that's a front page story.
One woman, says WBIR, has been busted for impersonating a Katrina victim. At least it is only one and not 100. There are growing concerns too about how Katrina victims may get TennCare while residents still search for assistance. With the vigil at the State Capitol now ended, tens of thousands struggling to make a way to pay for medical needs far beyond their ability to pay, the rumblings of healthcare may become a bona fide storm. Local and state officials I've talked with are reaching the breaking point from frustration and the public outcries are growing. Sadly, we are likely to see the issue become a political punching bag stuffed with campaign promises, which will provide no solutions.
And the AP is reporting on the 123 Tennessee residents who got 47.6 million dollars from the Small Business Administration in a program meant to help businesses impacted by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Among the highlights of the story:
"Motels, restaurants, travel agencies and tour guides and all businesses that might reasonably have been hurt by declines in travel after the jetliner hijackings benefited from the program in Tennessee.
But so did a chiropractor in Cordova, a dentist in Goodlettsville, a jeweler in Chattanooga, a tobacco shop in Memphis, a Baskin-Robbins in Brentwood and a boat builder in Spring Hill.
A review by the Associated Press found that $5 billion in loans was distributed nationally through a program so loosely run that some companies at New York's ground zero were turned down while others qualified that didn't need terrorism aid or didn't even know that was the loans' purpose.
"I was not aware of any 9/11 (connection)," said David Horner, owner of Classy Lady Inc., a Knoxville women's clothing store that got a $998,000 loan. The company used the loan to move out of a mall and into its own building."
Whew. Must be a Monday. So while you are here, allow me to direct you to some friends at my alma mater, Carson-Newman College. From now thru October 12, you can view the works of the very talented faculty and staff, including Mike Alvis, Scott Palmer, David Underwood and William C. Houston. Hey, guys!! Looky here - I gots me a blog!!!
My understanding as to why the Tennessee lodged Katrina victims are being allowed Tenncare, is because the state is reimbursed for 100% of any expenses.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I gathered from this article anyway. Here's an excerpt and a couple of links to articles.
The White House yesterday declared an emergency in eight states nearby, triggering federal aid to states and counties providing food, medical care and other assistance to evacuees. The states, which will be reimbursed for 100 percent of their expenses, are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=apPe3w97WT0o&refer=us
http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3812425&nav=4QcIeC19
Please let me know if I'm wrong about this reimbursement being applicable to Tenncare.
excellent point, Mtn Girl. The report in the Tennessean says:
ReplyDelete"State officials say they haven't fully worked out the details on how the costs of care will be handled.
People who are on Medicaid in other states are not expected to cost Tennessee taxpayers money, said Marilyn Elam, spokeswoman for TennCare, because their costs probably will be borne by those states' programs.
It's not certain whether the cost of providing medical care to the people intending to stay in Tennessee and on TennCare will have to be absorbed entirely by Tennessee, she said. The state is seeking federal help in covering the costs, she said.
Tennessee, like other states seeing evacuees, is seeking 100% reimbursement for all relief efforts, including TennCare, she said. But it's unclear whether the states will get that money or for how long."