NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Six of the seven senators who voted to kill Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans are enrolled in state government-subsidized health insurance.
According to records obtained by The Associated Press under state open records laws, the state-insured senators include Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican who angrily chided a Democratic colleague during committee debates for suggesting that lawmakers receiving government subsidies for their insurance should be more receptive the governor's proposal to extend coverage to poor Tennesseans.
Gardenhire stressed during the debate that he had private insurance through his private employer Morgan Stanley. He acknowledged on Thursday that he is enrolled in state insurance, but said he doesn't use it because his coverage through his employer is far superior.
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