Tennessee: GOP Gov. officially announces ACA Medicaid expansion

It'll still have to get through the GOP-controlled state legislature, of course, but it looks like you can scratch Tennessee off the "Expansion Refusenik" list. I presume this'll be a "Private Option" program similar to the one in Arkansas:

In a major policy move, Gov. Bill Haslam has announced the new Insure Tennessee plan, a two-year pilot program to provide health care coverage to tens of thousands of Tennesseans who currently don't have access to health insurance or have limited options.

The plan would be leveraged with federal dollars, said Haslam, who has been working on a Medicaid expansion plan that could gain approval from both federal officials and the Republican-dominated General Assembly.

I'm not sure if it'll be an AR-style system, but the irony of the Arkansas-style alternative plans which seem to be so popular with "Single Payer is Eeeevil!!!" Republican Governors is that this program essentially amounts to a nearly 100% taxpayer subsidy for a private healthcare policy. I've never quite understood the difference between Arkansas' program and, say, me going into Healthcare.Gov, enrolling in a QHP and receiving a 100% tax credit to pay for it...which Republicans supposedly hate with a passion. The only difference that I can tell is that the subsidy money comes from two different funds.

But...whatever. If that's what it takes to make this guy happy, fair enough: Welcome to the party, pal!