Updated: 02/17/2020
Last week the Divison of TennCare released a draft waiver, “Amendment 42,” to be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asking for approval to convert Tennessee’s Medicaid Program into a “Block Grant.” What is a “Block Grant?”Traditionally “block grants” cap spending of a program. Local and national advocacy organizations have expressed opposition to Tennessee’s Medicaid block grant citing concerns of people losing coverage, losing benefits, and lack of oversight. While TennCare has addressed some of advocates’ concerns in the draft waiver, such as asking funds be adjusted for population growth or recession, many others remain. THCC’s concerns are listed in this TennCare Advocates Guide. We recommend reading “Breaking Down TennCare’s Block Grant Proposal” published by The Sycamore Institute to learn more. What’s Next?Tennessee is accepting public comments through October 18th. The waiver will be sent to CMS for approval. A federal comment period will open. CMS has recently denied two other state proposals, so it is unclear if Tennessee’s will be approved. If it does, the final deal will be sent back to Tennessee’s General Assembly to be voted on. Advocates may submit comments to public.notice.tenncare@tn.gov or via THCC’s website. What Can Advocates doIn additions to submitting comments to public.notice.tenncare@tn.gov or via THCC’s website, there will be three meetings next week to provide TennCare with Feedback. Helpful Resources
- Tennessee Disability Coalition – TN Block Grant and Tennesseans with Disabilities
- Tennessee Health Care Campaign – TennCare Advocates Guide for Block Grants
- The Sycamore Institute – Breaking Down TennCare’s Block Grant Proposal
- Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality – Structurally Unsound- The impact of using block grants to fund economic security programs.