Battle Over TennCare Continues

Tennessee is asking a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling that TennCare must provide applicants with a fair hearing if it cannot process their requests on time.
States that participate in the Medicaid program are required to determine eligibility within 45 days in most cases. If the state does not meet that deadline, the applicants are entitled to a hearing.
TennCare applicants filed suit earlier this year complaining that their applications had been pending for months and the state had refused to provide hearings.
The state has blamed all delays on the federal government. But in a Sept. 2 ruling, U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell said Tennessee cannot pass off its responsibilities.
Attorneys for the state filed a notice of appeal to the 6th U.S. Circuit on Friday.