A group of TennCare advocates at loggerheads with Gov. Phil Bredesen over his plan to reform the state’s $7.8 billion healthcare program for 1.3 million poor, disabled and uninsurable Tennesseans sent the governor a letter Thursday signed by over 130 clergymen from across the state. In it the group calls for significant revisions to the governor’s proposed plan, which he is expected to submit to the federal government for approval later this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid also received the letter.

In the letter, advocates essentially call for Bredesen to throw out four essential planks of his plan. First, the group is calling for a new definition of “medical necessity.” As written, advocates say the waiver application definition limits the services prescribed to patients by their doctors in favor of less expensive alternatives. Next, advocates argue that generic drugs, while lower in cost, are not always the safest or most effective treatments. Advocates additionally decry the fact that Bredesen’s plan will require 60,000 TennCare enrollees living below the poverty line to make co-payments for medical services. Lastly, advocates call for exceptions to be made for patients needing more than six prescriptions per month.

At the time of the publication of this article, Bredesen had yet to issue any type of public statement in response to Thursday’s letter. In response to previous criticisms of his proposal by the very same advocates, Bredesen has stated that a pared down version of the existing TennCare program is preferable to scrapping the program in its entirety in favor of a return to a basic Medicaid program.

The letter to Bredesen was signed by numerous Nashville area religious leaders, including:

Reverend Dr. W. Robert Abstein, Rector, St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Edward T. Alberts, Pastor, Holy Family Catholic Church, Brentwood, TN

Reverend Edward C. Arnold, Pastor, St. Philips Catholic Church, Franklin, TN

Reverend April Baker, Associate Pastor, Glendale Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Father Mark Beckman, Pastor, St. Matthew Catholic Church, Franklin, TN

Reverend Derrick Boseman, Pastor, The Lazarus Project Ministry, Nashville, TN

Reverend Joseph P. Breen, Pastor, St. Edward’s Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Philip M. Breen, St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend George Brooks, Pastor, St. James Missionary Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend David Buttrick, Drucilla Moore Buffington Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Vincent Campbell, Associate Pastor, Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Carol T. Cavin-Dillon, Pastor, Christ United Methodist Church, Franklin, TN

Reverend Dr. Fred Cloud, President, Human Relations Consultation Services, Nashville, TN

Reverend James Cole, Associate Pastor, Belle Meade United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Bob Cowperthwaite, Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin, TN

Dr. LeNoir H. Culbertson, Pastor, Epworth United Methodist Church, Franklin, TN

Reverend Judy D. Cummings, Associate Pastor, Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Sonnye Dixon, Pastor, Hobson United Methodist Church, President, NAACP Nashville Chapter

Reverend Larry Dunlap-Berg, Edgehill United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend William W. Easley, Jr., Pastor, Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Mark Forrester, United Methodist Campus Minister and Director Of The Wesley Foundation, Vanderbilt University

Reverend Jack Forstman, Finney Professor of Historical Theology, Emeritus and Dean, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Shirley Renee Franklin, Campus Minister and Director of the Wesley Foundation, Tennessee State University

Reverend Pat Freudenthal, Program Director, Community Care Fellowship and Associate Pastor, Nancy Webb Kelly United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Mary K. Friskics-Warren, New Covenant Christian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Enoch Fuzz, Pastor, Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, President, Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, Nashville, TN

Reverend Charley Giacosa, Associate Pastor, St. Henry’s Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Thomas Gildemeister, Pastor, Christ United Methodist Church, Franklin, TN

Dr. Craig Goff, Pastor, Cook’s United Methodist Church, Mt. Juliet, TN

Dr. Kay Gray, Pastor, Bellevue United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Dr. Frank Gulley, Professor of Church History, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Maurice E. Harris, Pastor, Hosea Community Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Jay Hartley, Pastor, Eastwood Christian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Kaye Harvey, Pastor of Congregational Care, Brentwood United Methodist Church, Brentwood, TN

Reverend John Henrick, Pastor, St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Bertram Herlong, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee

Reverend Hope Hodnett, Director of Youth Ministries and Education, Vine Street Christian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Judi Hoffman, Pastor, Edgehill United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend James Hudnut-Beumler, Dean and Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Leonard Hummel, Assistant Professor, Pastoral Theology and Counseling, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Joseph B. Ingle, Nashville, TN

Reverend Alex Jackson, Pastor, Barth Vernon United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Pio Jackson, OFM, Associate Pastor, St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church and Co-Director, Franciscan Peace Center, Nashville, TN

Reverend Michael Johnston, Pastor, St. Henry’s Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Todd Jones, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend John L. Kirk, Associate Pastor, St. Philips Catholic Church, Franklin, TN

Reverend Thomas Kleinert, Senior Minister, Vine Street Christian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Edward U. Kmiec, D.D., S.T.L., Catholic Bishop of Nashville

Reverend Dr. Carmen Lile-Henley, Chaplain, McKendree Village, Nashville, TN

Reverend Shirley Majors-Jones, Executive Director ,Community Care Fellowship and Senior Pastor, Nancy Webb Kelly United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Horace Mann, Parish Associate, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend M. Douglas Meeks, Cal Turner Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Dr. Alvin E. Miller, Pastor, Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Minnie Mitchell, Pastor, House of God 7th Day, Nashville, TN

Sister Adrian Mulloy, R.S.M. (retired), Nashville, TN

Most Reverend James D. Niedergeses, retired Catholic Bishop of Nashville

Reverend William M. Nolan, Catholic Priest (retired), Diocese of Nashville

Reverend Howard Olds, Senior Pastor, Brentwood United Methodist Church, Brentwood, TN

Sister Eileen Pistor, R.S.M., Director, House of Mercy, Nashville, TN

Reverend Stacy Rector, Pastor, Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Dan Rosemergy, Minister, Greater Unitarian Universalist Church, Nashville, TN and Chair, Interfaith Alliance of Middle Tennessee

Reverend Rik Rouquie, Pastor, Hillwood Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Rabbi Mark Schiftan, The Temple, Nashville, TN

Sister Louise Shoulta, Pastoral Associate, St. Edward Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Victor Singletary, Pastor, First Baptist Church Capitol Hill, Nashville, TN

Reverend Paul Slentz, Pastor, 61st Avenue United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Wil Steinbacher, Glenmary, Holy Name Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Trudy Stringer, Assistant Director of Field Education, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend Eugene TeSelle, Professor of Church History and Theology, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University Divinity School

Reverend James “Tex” Thomas, Pastor, Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Edward Thompson, Pastor, Lee Chapel AME Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend James Chunn Turner, Sr., Pastor, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Peter van Eys, Pastor, Calvary United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Kay Hereford Voorhees, Associate Pastor, West End United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN

Reverend Gayle T. Watson, Pastor, Blackman United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro, TN

Sister Arlene Welding, SSSF, Social Concerns Coordinator, St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, Nashville, TN

Bishop Richard J. Wills, Resident Bishop of the Nashville Episcopal Area (Tennessee and Memphis Conferences), United Methodist Church

Reverend Henry A. Wilson, Jr., Pastor, Mt. Moriah Fellowship of Faith Church, Hendersonville, TN