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Tennessee House passes measure barring TennCare providers from denying care over vaccine choice after heated debate
Summary
The House passed Senate Bill 13-89 (substituted for House Bill 638) to prohibit health-care discrimination based on vaccination choice for TennCare patients. Supporters said it protects patient access; opponents, including health and public-safety advocates, warned it could endanger immunocompromised patients and weaken herd immunity.
The Tennessee House on Thursday passed a bill that bars health-care providers who accept TennCare from denying treatment to patients because of their vaccination choices. Representative Charlie Karringer, the bill—s sponsor, moved to substitute and conform to Senate Bill 13-89 and pressed for its passage on third and final consideration.
Supporters said the measure is narrowly drawn to apply only to TennCare — the state—s Medicaid program — and is intended to protect low-income patients from being refused care. "This is only for those patients who are on TennCare," Representative Karringer said, adding the bill includes exemptions for transplants, oncology patients and others who are immunocompromised. She said the goal is to preserve the…
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