Three advocacy groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed a lawsuit against Tennessee alleging state officials have unlawfully prevented thousands of people from signing up for Medicaid.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville. The Tennessee Justice Center and the National Health Law Program joined the Southern Poverty Law Center in filing the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Tennessee has violated federal law by not accepting in-person applications for the state's Medicaid program, TennCare. Since in-person applications are no longer accepted, those wishing to apply for TennCare are forced to do so through HealthCare.gov, which makes it more difficult to enroll in the program.
"Tennessee officials are sacrificing the health of the state's most vulnerable citizens just to score political points," said Sam Brooke, an SPLC attorney, in a news release. "They're throwing a monkey wrench into their own Medicaid program so they can demonize the federal government."
The lawsuit alleges Tennessee is violating the Medicaid Act, which requires all states to process their state's Medicaid applications and inform applicants if they qualify for the program within 45 days. In Tennessee, Medicaid applicants are often waiting more than 90 days for a determination of their eligibility for TennCare, with some applicants waiting nearly 6 months for an answer.
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