Tennessee Medicaid
TennCare
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TennCare covers pregnant women up to 200% of the federal poverty line — roughly $51,640 annual income for a family of three in 2025. The state has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Apply at https://tenncareconnect.tn.gov/ or call 1-855-259-0701.
On maternal health specifically: TennCare has extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months (effective 2022-04-01), and does not cover doula services through Medicaid.
TennCare operates under a Section 1115 block-grant waiver — the only one of its kind in the country — which Governor Lee's administration secured in January 2021. Tennessee remains a non-expansion state; the Tennessee Justice Center has led the coverage-gap advocacy campaign.
Key facts at a glance
- Pregnant women eligible up to 200% FPL ($51,640 for a family of three in 2025).
- Children 0-5 eligible up to 146% FPL ($37,700 for a family of three).
- Parents eligible up to 95% FPL only — no expansion adult category.
- Postpartum Medicaid extended to 12 months (effective 2022-04-01).
Tennessee Medicaid, topic by topic
Eligibility
Income limits & who qualifies
TennCare covers pregnant women up to 200% of the federal poverty line — $51,640 annual income for a family of three in 2025.
How to apply
How to apply step by step
Apply online at https://tenncareconnect.tn.gov/ or by phone at 1-855-259-0701. Federal law requires a 45-day decision on non-disability app…
Doula coverage
Doula coverage details
TennCare does not currently cover doula services through Medicaid; state advocacy for a State Plan Amendment is ongoing.
Postpartum extension
12-month postpartum status
TennCare extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, effective 2022-04-01.
Pregnant women
Pregnancy coverage in full
TennCare covers pregnancy-related care up to 200% of the federal poverty line — about $51,640 annual income for a family of three in 2025 —…
Renewal
Annual renewal & unwinding
TennCare redetermines eligibility at least once every 12 months under 42 CFR 435.916. During the 2023+ unwinding, roughly 69% of disenrollm…
For Black families
Roughly 325,000 Black residents are enrolled in TennCare, per the most recent CMS T-MSIS analytic file. The number understates true eligibility: every state has Black eligibles who aren't currently enrolled, usually because of the administrative-churn rates that rose sharply during the 2023 unwinding.
TennCare operates under a Section 1115 block-grant waiver — the only one of its kind in the country — which Governor Lee's administration secured in January 2021. Tennessee remains a non-expansion state; the Tennessee Justice Center has led the coverage-gap advocacy campaign.
For enrollment help: look for your state's Navigator program (federally funded under the ACA), a Federally Qualified Health Center in your county (every FQHC has certified application counselors on staff), or one of the named community organizations below. Our FQHC directory filters to this state at /clinics/tn/.
More on Tennessee from Black Health
FQHCs
Federally Qualified Health Centers in Tennessee
Sliding-scale clinics that take Medicaid + help with applications.
Providers
Providers who accept Medicaid in Tennessee
Filter our directory to Tennessee by specialty.
Health data
Black Health outcomes in Tennessee
Maternal mortality, life expectancy, uninsured rate by race.
Data sources
- TennCare — state Medicaid portal.
- KFF State Health Facts, Medicaid income eligibility + expansion + enrollment tables (kff.org/statedata).
- National Health Law Program doula Medicaid project (healthlaw.org/doulamedicaidproject).
- March of Dimes Report Card, 12-month postpartum extension tracker (marchofdimes.org/report-card).
- CMS T-MSIS Analytic Files, Medicaid enrollment by race and ethnicity (medicaid.gov/dq-atlas).
- HHS Poverty Guidelines, 2025 Federal Register release.
Data refreshed: