Tennessee Hospital Association President Craig Becker said he "wouldn't call it a foregone conclusion that we'll continue" the assessment. Becker said "it's just a question of if we go forward with the fee, what are we going to cover? I have to tell you, people are just coming out of the woodwork, thinking we should fund their program, and that's not what these dollars are for."

Hospitals “kind of feel like we’ve already bailed out the state,” Becker said. “To tack on another $120 million ... there’d probably be some resistance on that. We’ll figure it out when we get a little bit closer.”

"Today's unanimous vote in the House Finance Committee was another big step in restoring $659 million in proposed TennCare cuts," Hospital Association President Craig Becker said. "We are optimistic that the legislation will receive the same positive response by the full Senate on Thursday and the full House next week."

Late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved plans for Colorado's hospital tax almost one year after state legislators passed the law, reports the Denver Post. Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 1293 on April 21, 2009, authorizing collection of the hospital provider fee.

“We have heard from physicians all across the state that they had grave concerns over their abilities to remain in the TennCare program if the fees were cut another 7 percent in a time we are seeing more patients entering the program during these tough economic times,” said incoming TMA president B.W. Ruffner, MD, from Chattanooga. “We are thankful that we may all have a respite in order to keep the program sustained at least for the next 12 months without having to limit benefits or cut patients from the program,” said Dr. Ruffner. “It would not be possible without the solution offered by the hospitals in Tennessee and the additional stimulus funds available from the CMS.”