Governor Haslam and Senator Corker speak out annual Chattanooga Chamber luncheon

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Members of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce heard positive news about the direction of the city and the state on wednesday.

It was the annual meeting, where the focus was on economic and industrial growth.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam was the featured speaker…and he was introduced his old friend, U.S. Senator Bob Corker.

The Governor says his focus is still on job creation, and higher education including the popular Tennessee Promise.

Haslam says Tennessee is number one in the nation for manufacturing job growth.

But the mood was dampened by news that the Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie McPeak reports companies will increase health case costs from 44% to 62% next year.

GOV. BILL HASLAM said “I think what Commissioner McPeak started with the idea we don’t want to be in a situation where there’s no coverage…where there’s no insurance company that will say I’ll provide it at that cost..we’re obviously trying to keep those rates as low as possible.”

Senator Corker joined his senate colleague Lamar Alexander in criticizing the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, which is losing several major insurance companies this year.

“It was sort of a one size fits all approach and somehow or another we’ve got to get to a situation where plans are far more tailored to the individuals that are getting them.”

Noting Tennessee’s problems, the U.S. department of health and human services issued as a news release stating that 81% of Tennessee consumers could still purchase health insurance for less than 75-dollars a month, even if rates increase by double digits.

Sen. Corker added “One of the things that was such a flaw in this program early on was the bond plan where so many low income citizens sign up..has such huge deductibles that in many cases, you know it makes it almost impossible.. five thousand, seventy five hundred deductible that exists in these is something that lower income citizens can’t handle.”

Corker responded to a question by pointing out that so-called Obamacare can’t simply be dropped. He said any such program would have to be replaced by something else.

In downtown Chattanooga, Bill Mitchell News 12 Now.