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Tennessee

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To understand the strategies that states undertake to expand coverage and initiate broader health reform, it is important to recognize the variability in states’ health coverage distribution, employer-sponsored insurance rates, and public program eligibility levels. The charts below highlight certain aspects of Tennessee's coverage landscape. The graphs also provide a comparison to national data to give a sense of how Tennessee is faring.

For more information on specific coverage programs implemented in this state, please click on the ‘Coverage Strategies’ tab.

Overview of Medicaid and SCHIP Coverage[1]

Group
Income Eligibility
Children[2],[3]
185% FPL (ages 0-1)
133% FPL (ages 1-5)
100% FPL (ages 6-19)
250% FPL (SCHIP)
Pregnant Women
250% FPL
Parents
137% FPL 
SSI Disabled
74% FPL

 

Sources of Health Insurance Coverage State Data 2006– 2007 U.S.[4]

Percentage of Private-Sector Establishments That Offer Health Insurance Based on Firm Size by State, 2006[5]

 

[1]This overview provides a general description of state coverage levels under their Medicaid and SCHIP programs, including coverage through waivers, as of December 2008. Eligibility information was gathered from state web sites, data from state reports, and verified through contacts with CMS and state officials during the fall of 2008. This does not reflect the specific eligibility categories or requirements. This is not intended to be a substitute for eligibility information provided by each state. Individuals interested in applying for these programs should contact the state directly for specific eligibility requirements.
 [2]Medicaid eligibility based on children’s family income levels is listed by age group. For states with additional SCHIP eligibility for higher income levels, SCHIP income level eligibility information is presented separately.
 [3]Tennessee has covered uninsured and uninsurable (or “medically eligible”) children under its 1115 Medicaid waiver, although those categories are not currently open to new enrollment. Children who have been enrolled in these categories in the past are allowed to continue on the program as long as they continue to meet the criteria under which they were enrolled. Uninsured children whose Medicaid eligibility is ending are allowed to “roll over” into a demonstration category in one of two circumstances: (1) their family incomes are below 200 percent of the FPL, or (2) they have been determined uninsurable (or “medically eligible”). Children in Group 2 can be eligible at any income level. 
 [4]Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates based on the Census Bureau’s March 2007 and 2008 Current Population Survey.
 [5]Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends. 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Insurance Component.