Haslam health plan Insure Tennessee is dead

Tennessee will not expand health benefits to hundreds of thousands of low-income residents, with state senators rebuking Gov. Bill Haslam's controversial health care proposal.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted against passing Haslam's Insure Tennessee. Only four of the 11 committee members voted in favor of the plan.

The vote comes minutes after House Speaker Beth Harwell said she doesn't think there are enough votes in the House to pass the plan.

"I don't think I have the support," Harwell told reporters as she walked away from the House chamber Wednesday.

Harwell said she gauged member's interest Wednesday on Insure Tennessee, Haslam's plan to provide 280,000 low-income Tennesseans with federally funded health insurance. While declining to provide a vote count, she said she did tell Haslam where her caucus stands on the plan.

The Haslam administration was unable to secure enough support to pass the plan in the General Assembly, despite working for weeks to win over lawmakers from both parties.

The House clerk announced the House Insurance and Banking Committee will meet at 3:30 Wedneday afternoon, and the full House is set to reconvene at 4 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check www.Tennessean.com for more information as it becomes available.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.