WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Reps. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, issued the following op-ed on Obamacare repeal and replacement, which was published on FoxNews:

Today we are closer than ever to sending ObamaCare to the ash heap of history and opening the door for much-needed market-based solutions to health insurance.

With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Republicans banded together to eliminate the unpopular ObamaCare individual mandate. Now the Trump administration is determined to find a better way to address our nation's health-care needs.

But despite these positive developments, both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are considering policies that would not only retain ObamaCare for the indefinite future, but also expand this health-care disaster beyond even President Obama's ambitions.

These proposals would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by shoveling billions of additional dollars in deficit spending into the pockets of insurance companies, which have been losing money on ObamaCare's exchanges because of the law's misguided one-size-fits-all approach.

The real solution is obvious: we need to do away with this massive, expensive and unfair government program, instead of throwing money at a handful of corporations to tolerate it. But few have accused Washington of ever recognizing the obvious.

Several competing proposals appear to be on the table. One would direct the Obama-created bailout known as cost-sharing-reduction (CSR) payments to go to ObamaCare insurance companies. Another would create an entirely new reinsurance program to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars directly to insurers in order to convince them to stick with ObamaCare.

Republicans should reject both approaches.

Before now, Republicans correctly saw CSR payments for what they were - flagrant bailouts of favored ObamaCare insurance companies - and refused to be complicit in that bailout.

Republicans also recognized that CSR payments lacked sufficient pro-life protections, allowing taxpayer funding for abortions. These problems with CSR payments still remain - but the attitude among some Republicans has strangely and suddenly changed.

The reinsurance program proposals under consideration today would create a new backdoor bailout similar to one originally found in ObamaCare.

ObamaCare created a three-year reinsurance program, tantamount to a bailout, which thankfully ended in 2016. The Obama administration mismanaged this bailout so badly that it failed to collect enough insurance slush money, and then sought to fudge its mistakes by taking money from the Treasury and redirecting it into the pockets of insurance companies.

Back in 2016, top GOP committee chairmen from both the House and Senate called this scheme "the great Obamacare heist." And now some would seek to reproduce it.

This Frankenstein combination of a new Republican-created insurance bailout plus funding ObamaCare's existing pro-abortion CSR bailout is exactly what we counseled against in March last year. If we ignore the years of promises we made to the people on ObamaCare, the voters would, quite rightly, distrust Republicans for years to come.

Fortunately, there's another way. We can treat health insurance as the product it is and allow the principles of choice and competition to provide cheap, effective options, as we do for almost every other purchase in our society. Consumer freedom is the most effective way to lower premiums and make health insurance more affordable.

We should expand health savings accounts so Americans get a tax-free way to pay for health expenses, allow people to purchase plans that work for them, and make these plans portable between jobs. These three simple things will go a long way toward promoting market competition that benefits consumers and reduces the cost of health care for everyday Americans.

Republicans stand at a moment of great opportunity, one we've been promising to seize for over eight years. We can listen to the American people - who delivered historic Republican majorities that promised to move our nation past broken government intrusions into the health insurance market - or we can double down on this failed system by bailing out ObamaCare. We know which one we choose.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has proclaimed September as Life Insurance Awareness Month in Tennessee.

To support this proclamation, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) highlights the importance of life insurance coverage, which can help families protect their futures and ease financial burdens after a loved one's death.

"Life insurance is a critical insurance product, and our entire team fully supports Governor Lee's proclamation, which should remind all Tennesseans to assess their families' financial needs," said TDCI Commissioner Carter Lawrence. "During Life Insurance Awareness Month, I encourage consumers to evaluate their current benefits, seek advice from qualified insurance professionals, and take the actions necessary to achieve a financially secure future for their loved ones."

Consumers who need help locating a loved one's life insurance policy can use the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Life Insurance Policy Locator Service, a free tool, to determine if an individual is a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

In 2025, the service helped locate over $107 million in benefits for Tennesseans.

"Life insurance policies are intended to help cover financial burdens, such as medical bills, funeral costs, and other financial obligations that can occur after losing a loved one," said TDCI Assistant Commissioner for Insurance Scott McAnally. "I encourage consumers who have questions about whether they are beneficiaries of a policy to file a search request."

For more details about the locator service, visit the NAIC's website or contact our team at 1-800-342-4029 or (615) 741-2218.

Things all life insurance policyholders should know

Life insurance policies can be taken out by anyone who can prove they have an insurable interest in the person — that is, a financial interest in the insured person's life. If you have a life insurance policy, your responsibility does not stop with the paperwork. As a policyholder, there are important steps you should take now, and in the future, to help your loved ones:

Have you had a life-changing event, such as the birth of a child or a divorce? It is important to update your policies after a major life event to make sure that you have the appropriate beneficiaries listed.

Check your policies once a year to make sure that all beneficiaries are included and that the contact information for those listed beneficiaries is correct.

Let your beneficiaries know about the policies. Good communication can save everyone time and reduce confusion in the long run.

Provide beneficiaries or trusted advisors (such as accountants and attorneys) with the name of the life insurance company holding the policy.

Place a current copy of the policy with your will or other estate paperwork in a safe place where family and beneficiaries will be able to easily find it.

An insurance company has 60 days to pay a death claim to beneficiaries. If a claim is not paid within 15 days of the date of death, the company must also pay interest. There is a grace period of 30 days for missed payments in Tennessee. If you miss a payment, you will be covered for 30 days even if the missed payment is not made up.