What has progressed as a comparatively slow legislative session saw additional delays this week as multiple committees in the House canceled meetings on Wednesday due to snow in the Middle Tennessee area.

Several bills were deferred to next week’s calendars, including a rare bipartisan proposal that would establish a temporary benefits program for individuals who do not currently qualify for TennCare or CoverKids.

As introduced, SB164/HB18 by Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) and Rep. Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro) would allow individuals under the age of 21 to receive TennCare coverage for a 12-month period out of 24 months, with a cumulative maximum of 60 months allowed. The 60-month allowance would reset upon the enrollee’s 21st birthday. Under the provisions of the bill, a beneficiary’s income could not exceed 138% of the total poverty level to qualify.

While not directly enumerated, the legislation could provide relief for uninsured or underinsured individuals requiring costly medical procedures or prescriptions, thereby reducing medical debt while ensuring physicians or hospitals are paid for services which would otherwise be uncompensated. The measure does not address network adequacy, nor does it address reimbursement. However, establishment of such a program would support multiple House of Delegates policies by expanding access to affordable healthcare for more Tennesseans.

Despite a large fiscal note, the bill is making impressive headway in the lower chamber, having already passed its first hurdle in the House TennCare Subcommittee last week. It has been re-calendared for the full House Insurance Committee next Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 4:30pm.

PERSONHOOD CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

A proposed constitutional amendment that would define “person” as beginning at fertilization was rolled two weeks due to opposition from several organizations, including TMA.

The resolution, HJR7 filed by Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), would expand the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection to “every human being from fertilization to natural death,” effectively conferring liberties and privileges to zygotes and fetuses. The result of which would cause confusion among health care providers, disrupt access to contraceptives and infertility treatments such as IVF and raise complex legal questions that could criminalize pregnancy complications.

Although successfully delayed this week, it’s currently unclear whether the sponsor will accept amendatory language or abandon the proposal altogether when it is heard in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 5 at 1:30pm.