Judge to rule next week on TennCare lawsuit
By Andy Sher, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Campbell will rule on the request for class-action status as well as plaintiffs' request for an injunction.
The injunction would force the state's
In
The suit was filed on behalf of 11 named plaintiffs and other unnamed individuals by the
All of the named plaintiffs say their cases lingered for at least 140 days and others are said to have waited 200 or more days.
Under the best-case scenario, the system is more than three months away from being operational. The state may have to switch contractors to get the job done. At this point they've hired a consultant to see how big a problem
"The one option the state does not have is to throw up their hands and do nothing," attorney
But state officials are seeking to lay problems at the feet of the Obama administration, saying they can't get full access to the
Defense attorney
"The state cannot supervise the federal government," Kirk said.
He also told Campbell he should deny the request for class-action status, arguing that it fails to meet any part of a seven-point test. He cited a 2011
The state worked with the advocacy groups to process applications for the 11 named plaintiffs and a number of others. Because of that, Kirk argued, the named plaintiffs' problems no longer exist and thus the request for class-action status should be denied.
Meanwhile, Kirk lashed out at the U.S. attorney's filing of a "statement of interest" filed shortly before Friday's hearing.
The filing points a finger at
In a sharply worded
Plaintiff's attorneys and a national expert say
Among those watching the proceedings Friday was 25-year-old
She said she has kidney stones and infections in both kidneys. That's forced her to go to a hospital emergency room. But with
"As a single mom, it's definitely impacted me," she said. "I'm concerned for my health ... and also for my son. He's my major concern."
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