Health Action 2006

1. Dental Care for Children - Tooth decay, the most preventable childhood disease.

2. Medical Debt - Borrowing from your credit card to stay healthy. We need to hear from you!

4. THCC needs a blogger - This is the year for expanding health care. Call 1-877-431-7083 if you can help.

1. Dental Care for Children - The State of Tennessee is taking a positive step forward with its new CoverKids. However, the program is missing a vital investment to ensure our children get and stay healthy: dental care. Providing dental care costs just pennies a day, but saves millions in the long run. Studies show that a state investment of $4-$5 per child per month would provide dental services through SCHIP. Go to Health Beat for more information.

2. Medical Debt - We have talked with hundreds of people who have lost their health insurance or cut from TennCare and had to go into debt to maintain their health to treat their cancer, their heart disease, or their mental health condition. We need to hear from you. Please call us at our toll free number 1-877-431-7083 or email Tony Garr. Be sure to leave us your contact information.

Even though we have talked to hundreds of people in this situation, we know that there are thousands who have been forced into this situation. They owe tens of thousands of dollars because of the cost of health care. People have lost their homes and they have had to charge their care on whatever credit cards that they may have had. Now, thousands of people are in personal debt and will never be able to dig out.

3. Radio Free Nashville - Listen to our discussion via "Streaming Audio" this Wednesday 4-5 CDT for our discussion on Medical Debt. Listen via "Steaming Audio" to Health Care in Tennessee every Wednesday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM Central Time. Get the latest health care news, both locally and nationally. Radio Free Nashville is a low-power community radio station. Most of you will only be able to listen via streaming audio. Listen in to Radio Free Nashville. CLICK HERE.

4. THCC needs a blogger - This is the year for expanding health care. Call 1-877-431-7083 if you can help. George Haley will be giving up his blog on health care unless someone steps forward and says, "I will give it a try." If you have the interest, George will be glad to work with you and give you some pointers. Email George Haley. His blog is http://geotenncare.blogspot.com/

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