RESEARCH

As the national political landscape in Washington and many state legislatures across the country transition from blue to red in 2015, federal officials will determine how and whether the Pandora’s box of national healthcare exchanges can be rolled back or repealed altogether. Yet, perhaps the more critical focus will be on the states like Tennessee that have thus far rejected expansion of federal Medicaid enrollment. In the Volunteer State, it remains to be seen what strategies our legislature will adopt to address our healthcare needs. The Beacon Center encourages state lawmakers to insulate Tennessee from the disasters of Medicaid expansion experienced by neighboring Arkansas and others, and instead enable our state to be an incubator of creative, free-market reforms that actually make a positive difference in people’s lives. They can do this by adopting Right-To-Try legislation so terminally ill Tennessee patients can pursue potentially life saving experimental medications that have passed Phase I in the FDA approval process, allowing patients to reclaim their right to chart their own healthcare maps. The Beacon Center’s Healthcare Reform Package for 2015 is our roadmap for legislators that would remove Tennessee’s seat at the federal negotiation table and return the decision making to the kitchen tables of our state taxpayers. Below are the contents of our reform package:

Brief: The Pursuit of Hope – We explain why the government should not stand in the way of terminally ill patients having every medical opportunity available to them.

Faces of Freedom:  Who is in Charge of our Healthcare? – Read the stories of business owners, doctors, and private citizens who have felt the negative effects of Obamacare.

Opinion: Ebola, The “Right-To-Try,” And Why We Should Care – Beacon Director of Policy Lindsay Boyd explains the benefits of “Right-To-Try” in a piece that was published in Forbes.

Infographic: Healthcare Freedom – These graphics show that a high percentage of doctors support “Right-To-Try” and that expanding Medicaid will make it more difficult for Tennessee’s most vulnerable to see a doctor.

Study: Expanding Medicaid Will Hurt Tennessee Families, Lower Income, and Reduce Jobs – The Beacon Center and State Budget Solutions released a new study, which shows that expanding Medicaid in the state of Tennessee would be completely irresponsible and have a negative financial impact throughout the state.

Video: Amanda Wilcox and Her Right to Try – State lawmakers can do their part to extend hope to thousands of Tennessee’s terminally ill patients like Amanda Wilcox by passing “Right to Try” in 2015.