NFIB

CoverTN town hall tour makes stop in Columbia
The ongoing tour to discuss the state's new health-care program for small business, CoverTN, stopped in Columbia last week. Nearly 20 small-business owners attended a town hall meeting co-hosted by the Maury County Alliance and NFIB to hear from CoverTN Director Stephani Ryan. One member said CoverTN was filling a "niche that the (insurance) market couldn't fill." 

For more information regarding CoverTN or if you would like to schedule a meeting in your community, please contact Member Support Manager Valerie Nagoshiner at 866-798-4578. Additional town hall meetings will be scheduled throughout the state soon. Visit www.covertn.gov or call 866-CoverTN to learn more about CoverTN.

CoverTN enrollment tops 4,000
CoverTN reached the 4,000 enrollment mark May 21. The program was launched in March, and enrollment began April 1. To date, more than 12,000 businesses have pre-qualified. Enrollment is a two-step process. Once a business is confirmed as eligible, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the program's insurer, sends out enrollment materials, and individuals have 90 days to make a decision. CoverTN is a partnership between the state, small businesses and their employees to provide coverage for the most needed medical services. It's not a mandated program or an entitlement program; it is a voluntary initiative for uninsured Tennesseans to obtain private insurance. The individual owns the plan, not the state or the company. Visit www.covertn.gov or call 866-CoverTN to learn more about CoverTN.

NFIB welcomes Memphis member who 'answered the call'
Ridgeway Communications Enterprises owner James Gordon from Memphis recently rejoined NFIB. Gordon says he is an NFIB member because he wants "to have a voice in order to protect the essence of what this country was built on and prevent government from running small business out." Read more about Gordon and his business. We're glad to have you as a strong member of NFIB, James!

Medical malpractice legislation stalls in House
A bipartisan effort in the Legislature to limit frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits fell apart in the House when it was sent back to committee — meaning the measure has likely stalled this year. The Senate unanimously passed a similar measure last month. Lawmakers objected to an amendment that would insert language to change the "locality rule" for medical experts testifying in malpractice trials. The change would allow medical experts to qualify based on an understanding of statewide medical standards in an effort to be able to draw witnesses from a wider geographical area. NFIB participated in a coalition supporting lawsuit reform.

Small-business owners speak out to reduce crime
The NFIB Memphis Area Action Council hosted a member lunch last week where Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons talked about three laws pending in the Tennessee General Assembly which would fight crime throughout Tennessee. Read more.

NFIB health-care survey released
Last week, NFIB released its Small-Business Health-Care Survey, which identified cost as the single most important problem for small-business owners. The new survey, which polled NFIB members, is the latest health-care research measuring the awareness, attitudes and beliefs of the small-business community. Small-business owners responding to the survey indicated they believe the price mechanism could work to reduce health-care costs. Seventy percent of NFIB members believe that making consumers more aware of health-care and health-insurance costs will encourage them to become better health-care consumers. To view the executive summary and complete survey results, please visit www.nfib.com/research.

Sincerely,
Gary Selvy
NFIB/Tennessee State Director
gary.selvy@nfib.org