SEIU's Change that Works campaign released a report on rising health care costs and the value of reform in Tennessee. Health care reform will go a long way towards fixing the broken economy and addressing the health care needs of Tennesseans-- from our rural areas as well as the cities. Government, families and businesses large and small stand to save trillions from fixing health care. Reform will strengthen Tennessee's businesses, help us retain jobs, and provide greater access and choices to Tennesseans in need of care. Read some of the impact from the report below:

America's families and businesses will both be stronger with health reform. In order to fix our broken economy, we must first fix our broken health care system. The high level of uninsured Americans, 45.7 million and growing at a rate of 14,000 per day, creates not only a moral crisis, but also avoidable economic costs. Covering everyone will not only increase coverage for the uninsured, but also reduce costs for those with insurance.

And specifically the fiscal impact on Tennessee and its residents:

Tennessee's economy lost as much as 3.57 billion because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured in 2007. That equates to $4,000 per uninsured Tennessee resident.

This year, Tennessee faces a $1.5 billion, or 13.4 percent, state budget shortfall. As a result, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 seriously ill people are expected to lose hospitalization and other needed medical services provided through TennCare, the state's Medicaid program.