Community Shares

Giving Matters


Brad A. Palmertree
Interim Executive Director
THCC
1103 Chapel Ave.
Nashville, TN 37206
615-227-7500
877-431-7083
Fax 615-846-1946
Email

Current Actions & Alerts


Legislative Updates - Action Needed
Click on the links for each committee. Make phone calls or send emails to voice your opinion on these bills that directly affect consumers such as yourself.

HB3281 / SB 3645
Sponsors
: Rep. Debra Maggart (Hendersonville), Sen. Bo Watson (Hixson), Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (Blountville), Sen. Bill Ketron (Murfreesboro)
Summary: Removes the prohibition on insurance companies to make campaign contributions, along with removing PAC aggregate limitation on candidates and deleting the requirement on certain large contributions made within 10 days of election.

'Nuff said.

UPDATE: Passed by the Senate State & Local Government committee last week and will be voted on by Senate soon. It's to be heard in the House State & Local Government Subcommittee on 3/14 at 8:30am or 3:30pm in Room 30. Watch it here. See a list of legislators on the committee here.


HB2979 / SB2789
Sponsors: Rep. Vance Dennis (Savannah) / Sen. Brian Kelsey (Germantown)
Summary: Corporations are people...rummaging through your medical records. If this bill becomes law, it would allow health insurance corporations and their lawyers to see ALL your medical, mental health, and drug abuse record from ALL your doctors in defense of a lawsuit.

See, large corporate hospitals and nursing homes don't care that 1985 was 27 years ago. If you file suit against one of them today, they want to be able to go back and read all about that bout of severe depression you had when you didn't make your college baseball team.

In fact, if you were to file a lawsuit against one of them today, HB2979 would allow them to obtain all your medical records from allyour doctors - even the ones that do not pertain to the lawsuit.

The bill would also authorize the attorney of the health insurance company to get any of your mental health or drug and alcohol abuse treatment records - no matter how far in the past.

The bill would also allow the attorney for the health insurance company to interview any of your doctors without your lawyer being present.

UPDATE: This bill will be heard in House General Subcommittee of Judiciary on Wednesday, 3/14, at 8:30am or 3:30pm in room 31. Watch here. See list of legislators on the committee here.


HB174 / SB360
Sponsors: Rep. Glen Casada (Franklin), Sen. Jack Johnson (Franklin)
Summary: Elimination of patient protections in the emergency room...and beyond.

This bill, if it were to become law, would change the burden of proof for medical malpractice cases originating in emergency rooms to "gross negligence." "What's wrong with that?" you ask. Well, gross negligence is a very high burden to meet; anything short of criminal conduct, physical assault, and abuse would be protected by this bill.

Example: A woman is sent home and dies after an ER doctor fails to diagnose the obvious signs of an ectopic pregnancy. This could be deemed mere negligence and the patient's family would have no restitution.

And the accountability-free zone doesn't stop in the ER. If you are admitted to the ER, this bill also requires the gross negligence burden to follow you to emergency surgery and the OB unit.

UPDATE: This bill be heard in House General Subcommittee of Judiciary on Wednesday, 3/14, at 8:30am or 3:30pm in room 31. Watch it here. See a list of legislators on the committee here.


Click here for info about THCC's 2012 Regional Training Meetings in Cookeville, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville

Archives

2011 Regional Training Materials for Cookeville, Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis

2010 Alerts

2009

2008

2007

2006