Nashville’s Health Care Industry Attracts A Quarter Of All New Jobs; Still, Companies Have Worries

The Nashville region’s health care industry confirmed this week what it’s already been saying for a long time: It is a major economic driver. 

A new report
from the Nashville Health Care Council says the industry employs more people than any other in the region, accounting for 25 percent of all new jobs between 2008 and 2013 and injecting $39 billion into the local economy last year.

Still, local CEOs say 
they’re worried about a shortage of skilled workers as the industry continues to grow, especially in the IT sector, according to the report.

They’re also concerned about changing healthcare regulations, primarily related to the Affordable Care Act.

“It’s been, regulatorily, extremely challenging. But at the end of the day, it’s the law. We support it. We’re going to do what we’re going to do to serve as many members as possible,” says 
Bill Gracey
, chief operating officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

But there is a silver lining to all the new regulations. Murat Arik, an MTSU researcher who led the Health Care Council report, notes many entrepreneurs in Nashville have capitalized on the changes — by creating new companies.