Tennessee State, Federal Governments Approve TennCare Waiver

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 11 Oct 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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CMS has approved a waiver for federal funding of TennCare, Tennessee officials announced Monday, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (Memphis Commercial Appeal, 10/9). The three-year waiver caps at $540 million annually the amount of money TennCare can draw from the federal government to help reimburse hospitals for treating Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured. However, state officials said the state will need an additional $270 million to cover increasing hospital costs. During the last three years, TennCare has paid more than $1.7 billion to hospitals to help cover charity care and Medicaid losses, the AP/Tennessean reports. Under the waiver, the state has the authority to establish the "standard spend down" category for TennCare coverage. The category, which was designed for adults whose medical bills would put them in poverty, is similar to a program currently available to pregnant women and children (Schelzig, AP/Tennessean, 10/9).

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