NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Big Beautiful Bill promises cuts to government waste. But, thousands of Tennesseans could be affected with new restrictions on TennCare/Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. With 1.4 million Tennesseans who are on Medicaid possibly losing medical coverage, and the estimated 41% of rural hospitals that depend on federal funds with possible closure, the uninsured will most likely end up overcrowding Emergency Departments of hospitals for their routine medical care, increasing wait times for those seeking emergent and immediate care. Nashville Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Katrina Green sounds the alarm. "Code Blue" means that a patient needs immediate resuscitation for a life-threatening situation. Can the already stressed health care system sustain deeper cuts? Will this cost each one of us more in the long run? If more uninsured seek treatment at hospitals, would those that can pay for treatment be charged more to make up for the hospital's uninsured debt?
