Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0018 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	SENATE BILL 164
3		-	By Yarbro
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		HOUSE BILL 18
6	5		By Baum
7	6
8	7
9	8		HB0018
10	9		000491
11	10		- 1 -
12	11
13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71,
14	13		Chapter 5, relative to TennCare.
15	14
16	15		WHEREAS, it is the desire of the General Assembly to assist Tennesseans in times of
17	16		need; and
18	17		WHEREAS, such assistance should be provided in a manner that does not foster long-
19	18		term, chronic dependency on government assistance; and
20	19		WHEREAS, the temporary provision of high-quality healthcare coverage is one form of
21	20		that assistance; now, therefore,
22	21		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STA TE OF TENNESSEE:
23	22		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 1, is amended by
24	23		adding the following as a new section:
25	24		(a) As used in this section:
26	25		(1) "CoverKids program" means the program established pursuant to the
27	26		CoverKids Act of 2006, compiled in chapter 3, part 11 of this title, to provide
28	27		health insurance coverage to children; and
29	28		(2) "Temporary TennCare benefits program" means medical assistance
30	29		provided on a temporary basis to an individual who is otherwise ineligible on the
31	30		basis of income for enrollment in medical assistance under this part or in the
32	31		CoverKids program.
33	32		(b) The bureau of TennCare shall submit by December 31, 2025, a waiver
34	33		application to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services that establishes a
35	34		temporary TennCare benefits program.
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40	39		(c) The temporary TennCare benefits program must include provisions for the
41	40		following:
42	41		(1) Medical assistance must be available for a period not to exceed
43	42		twelve (12) months in a period of twenty-four (24) months, up to a cumulative
44	43		maximum of sixty (60) months during the years prior to the individual's twenty-
45	44		first birthday, for an individual who:
46	45		(A) Is less than twenty-one (21) years of age;
47	46		(B) Is from a family that has income not greater than one hundred
48	47		thirty-eight percent (138%) of the federal poverty level; and
49	48		(C) Is not currently eligible for medical assistance under this part,
50	49		enrollment in the CoverKids program, or a successor program;
51	50		(2) Medical assistance must be available for a period not to exceed
52	51		twelve (12) months in a period of twenty-four (24) months, up to a cumulative
53	52		maximum of sixty (60) months during the individual's remaining lifetime, for an
54	53		individual who:
55	54		(A) Is twenty-one (21) years of age or older;
56	55		(B) Has an income not greater than one hundred thirty-eight
57	56		percent (138%) of the federal poverty level; and
58	57		(C) Is not currently eligible for medical assistance under this part;
59	58		(3)
60	59		(A) The temporary benefits provided in subdivisions (c)(1) and
61	60		(c)(2) do not replace or substitute for enrollment in medical assistance
62	61		under this part, the CoverKids program, or successor programs if the
63	62		individual becomes eligible for one (1) or more of those programs while
64	63		the individual is enrolled in the temporary TennCare benefits program;
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69	68		(B) Receipt of the temporary benefits provided in this subsection
70	69		(c) does not preclude an individual who becomes eligible for medical
71	70		assistance, the CoverKids program, or a successor program from
72	71		applying for enrollment in those programs;
73	72		(C) If an individual becomes enrolled in medical assistance, the
74	73		CoverKids program, or a successor program while the individual is
75	74		receiving temporary benefits, then the temporary benefits are paused;
76	75		(D) For an individual contemplated in subdivision (c)(2), the sixty-
77	76		month limit resets upon the individual's twenty-first birthday. Any
78	77		remaining time does not carry forward from prior to the individual's
79	78		twenty-first birthday; and
80	79		(E) Enrollment in the temporary TennCare benefits program must
81	80		begin six (6) months following the date of federal approval of a necessary
82	81		waiver;
83	82		(4) The program is funded using ninety percent (90%) federal funds and
84	83		ten percent (10%) state funds; and
85	84		(5) The program and any federal waiver sought to enable the program
86	85		must leave unchanged the TennCare block grant financing agreement that was
87	86		negotiated pursuant to § 71-5-163 and subsequently approved by the federal
88	87		centers for medicare and medicaid services and by joint resolution of the general
89	88		assembly.
90	89		(d) The bureau of TennCare shall promulgate rules in accordance with the
91	90		Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, to administer the
92	91		temporary TennCare benefits program. The rules must include:
93	92		(1) An application system for new and returning beneficiaries;
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98	97		(2) A record of beneficiaries, including:
99	98		(A) A beneficiary who becomes eligible for medical assistance,
100	99		the CoverKids program, or a successor program while the beneficiary is
101	100		receiving temporary benefits; and
102	101		(B) A beneficiary who was previously enrolled in medical
103	102		assistance, the CoverKids program, or a successor program; and
104	103		(3) A time-tracking system that maintains a record of a beneficiary's use
105	104		of the program and that makes the record available to the beneficiary.
106	105		(e) The bureau shall strive to enable applicants for temporary benefits to access
107	106		benefits in a timely fashion.
108	107		(f) The temporary TennCare benefits program does not constitute an entitlement
109	108		to coverage for eligible individuals, and the availability of program benefits is subject to
110	109		appropriations made in the annual appropriations act for that purpose.
111	110		SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 71-5-126, is amended by designating
112	111		the existing language as subsection (a) and adding the following as a new subsection:
113	112		(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to actions by the governor that are necessary
114	113		to establish the temporary TennCare benefits program pursuant to SECTION 1.
115	114		SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.