Tennessee's Democratic gubernatorial candidates call for Medicaid expansion at Knoxville forum

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee's Democratic gubernatorial candidates on Thursday called for the expansion of Medicaid to address health equity gaps in the state.

Dr. Jason Martin and Memphis City Council member JB Smiley, Jr., both vying for the Democratic nomination in the Aug. 4 primary, said the state should join the majority of the country in expanding Medicaid.

Expansion could extend TennCare coverage to an estimated 300,000 people, many of whom cannot afford private medical insurance.

Martin criticized Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly’s “radical supermajority” for leaving federal dollars on the table during a candidate forum Thursday night at the University of Tennessee, while both candidates called for leadership to do more for Tennesseans outside of the state's biggest cities.

Read more: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/12/tennessee-democratic-gubernatorial-candidates-call-medicaid-expansion/9752984002/