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I worked hard as the taxpayer watchdog to root out corruption and inefficiency, to make Kentucky a place where we do big, important things while protecting every tax dollar. I believe that such an approach represents a better way for Kentucky. But now Gov. Matt Bevin wants to add new layers of bureaucracy and mandates to our health system. (Adam Edelen, 7/29)

Addiction is devastating Eastern and Central Kentucky. Our region has suffered from one of the worst prescription-drug abuse problems in the nation. Now, we see overdoses increasing as heroin and fentanyl flood into the mountains. This is personal to me. This December, I will be clean and sober for 10 years. (Tim Robinson, 7/29)

Texas has never come to grips with the realities of providing health care to its poorest residents. It needs to now. At the end of August, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plan to pull the plug on a stop-gap solution that Parkland Memorial Hospital and other county hospital districts in Texas have used to obtain federal funding matches to serve Texas' poor...If those dollars go away, Parkland could lose $10 million annually, and if the feds apply the same approach to other related Medicaid programs, the financial impact could approach $24 million, Dr. Frederick Cerise, Parkland's president and chief executive officer, told us. (7/29)

We’ve all heard that “Insure Tennessee will return a billion dollars a year to Tennessee’s economy.” OK, great, but return a billion from where exactly? The answer starts with a cut in federal spending. Tennessee receives federal Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments of up to $80 million annually. Under the new federal health care system, DSH payments are drying up. We may be able to delay the evaporation, but rural hospitals are already starting to close. (Chris Moth, 7/29)

While marketplace consumers have access to subsidies — and 85 percent of Tennessee enrollees are eligible for them — many still struggle to pay for their premiums, let alone their out-of-pocket costs. Obama suggested providing more financial assistance, but regardless of how it’s done, Tennesseans would certainly benefit from improved affordability. (Alex Tolbert, 7/31)