Amid Opposition, TN’s Outnumbered Democrats Say Give Obamacare Time

Rep. Cooper and Rep. Steve Cohen in Memphis are Tennessee’s only two Democrats in Washington D.C. Credit: Jim Cooper via Flickr

Congressman Jim Cooper is one of two Tennessee voices in Washington with anything good to say about Obamacare.

The Nashville Democrat says he’s disappointed that Tennessee hasn’t been more supportive of the insurance marketplaces that open for business today. He says the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect.

“There are many things we need to fix in Obamacare. But still overall it’s a good reform and long overdue. It’s like a software upgrade. It’s not any fun to go from 3.0 to 3.1 to 3.5, but it’s a necessary and important thing to do.”

“We just need to be patient and tolerant,” Cooper says.

Starting Tuesday, Tennesseans can shop for coverage at healthcare.gov.

The state still hasn’t agreed to expand TennCare to provide subsidized coverage for the working poor, as envisioned under Obamacare.