Faith Leaders Say Medicaid Expansion Is A Moral Imperative

Faith Leaders Say Medicaid Expansion Is A Moral Imperative  Gov. Lee must address vulnerabilities in Tennessee’s healthcare system NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Earlier today, three pastors,  Rev. Jim Sessions, Retired United Methodist Pastor in Knoxville; Rev. Gordon Myers, Pastor at Living Word Lutheran Church, Arlington; and Rev. Jared Ruari of Shelbyville held a phone press conference…

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Block Grants Will Not Help the 300,000 Tennesseans in Need of Health Coverage

In response to Governor Bill Lee’s release of his Medicaid block grant proposal, State Director of the Southern Christian Coalition Lenda Sherrell released the following statement: “The implementation of Gov. Lee’s block grant proposal would further devastate families and children, especially as the number of uninsured Tennesseans rises. Block grants do not expand coverage to…

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Gov. Lee Must End The Health Crisis Our Leaders Created

The Rise in the Number of Uninsured Tennesseans is Sinful In response to Tennessee’s alarming rise in the number of uninsured, leaving one in 10 Tennesseans without health coverage, the third-largest increase in the nation, State Director of the Southern Christian Coalition Lenda Sherrell released the following statement: “The increase in the number of uninsured…

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Gov. Lee Must Immediately Withdraw Tennessee From the ACA Lawsuit as Insurance Companies Expand Coverage

Three insurance companies, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Ambetter, and Cigna, will expand coverage across Tennessee on HealthCare.gov, the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s online marketplace. In response to the ACA’s “growing stability,” State Director of the Southern Christian Coalition (SCC) Lenda Sherrell issued the following statement and restated SCC’s ungranted request to meet with Gov. Lee: “The…

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Inspired by Refugee Rights Advocates Vigils Across the Nation, SCC Launches Online Tool

vigil

Nationwide letter tool for Christians across the country to engage THEIR members of Congress The Southern Christian Coalition is denouncing the treatment of refugees being held along the U.S. southern border and providing Christians across the country an online tool to contact their members of Congress to end the harmful detention practices.  The online tool,…

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As a Christian, Gov. Lee Must Stop ACA Repeal

Pastors Speak on the Immorality of the ACA Lawsuit Ahead of Oral Arguments in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals   On a press call earlier today, members of the Southern Christian Coalition (SCC) called on Governor Bill Lee to urge Attorney General Herbert Slatery to withdraw Tennessee from the lawsuit that could repeal the…

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Pastor Fritts, Jesus Loved ALL People

Our thoughts on a Knoxville pastor’s sermon against our LGBTQ neighbors: We ask Pastor Grayson Fritts of Knoxville to remember the most basic tenet of Christianity: Jesus loved all people. He validated humans for who we are, not for what society expects of us. Jesus calls on us to aspire to be more caring, compassionate,…

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Gov. Lee Must Also Lift Up Tennesseans Slipping Through the Cracks From Lack of Medicaid Expansion

In response to Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State address, Lenda Sherrell, state director of the Southern Christian Coalition issued the following response: “It is admirable for Gov. Lee to lift up the nearly 300,000 Tennesseans facing serious mental health challenges whom he describes as “slipping through the cracks.” We ask that Gov. Lee not overlook the roughly 163,000 Tennesseans caught in the coverage gap who are also slipping through the cracks because Tennessee has not expanded Medicaid.

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Gov. Lee’s Medicaid Stance is not Aligned with MLK’s Legacy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today at Tennessee State University, Dr. William Barber spoke to an audience about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Governor Bill Lee was in the audience and did not answer Dr. Barber’s invitation to stand in support of healthcare for all Tennesseans.  Lenda Sherrell, state director of the Southern Christian…

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