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Tennessee Medicaid Qualifications

Tennessee's state Medicaid program, called TennCare, is used by 1.2 million Tennesseans to get health, dental, vision and mental health care. The primary target populations are low-income children, parents, pregnant women, and elderly and disabled adults. The cost to provide these services was around $8 billion annually in 2010. The state of Tennessee runs the program, though the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees the program.

  1. Families

    • Aid to Families With Dependent Children is the basic Medicaid for families of four who make no more $2,240 a month and have no more than $2,000 in assets, as of 2011. The Medically Needy program provides health care for low-income people, pregnant women, children under 18 and some children up to age 21. The person receiving the care must have income no greater than $325 a month for a family of four or unreimbursed medical bills that would require him to "spend down" his income to the monthly limit. He must also have no more than $2,000 in assets if applying as an individual or $3,000 in assets for a couple or family.

    Women

    • The AFDC Pregnant Woman program is for women who don't qualify for Medicaid but would if there were other children in the home. The monthly income limit is $2,240 for a family of four with no more than $2,000 in assets, as of 2011. Women with breast or cervical cancer can receive Medicaid care if they're uninsured or have insurance that doesn't cover treatment for breast or cervical cancer. They must be under the age of 65, have breast or cervical cancer and be eligible for TennCare Medicaid. Eligible women also can't have a monthly income that's more than 250 percent above the federal poverty level.

    Children

    • The program for newborns offers health care for children born to Medicaid-eligible women. The Poverty Level Income Standard, Pregnant Women and Children Program is for low-income pregnant women and children up to age 19. Pregnant women and infants to age 1 must have a monthly income below $2,857 for a family of three, 185 percent of the poverty level. Children from ages 1 to 6 must be in families with a monthly income that's no more than $2,054 for a family of three, 133 percent of the poverty level, and children ages 6 to 19 must be in families with a monthly income that's no more than $1,545 for a family of three, 100 percent of poverty level. TennCare Standard Uninsured is for children under 19 whose Medicaid ends when they turn 19 and who don't have insurance through a job or a parent's job and whose family makes less than $3,089 a month for a family of three.

    Adults

    • The Supplemental Security Income program provides monthly benefits to low-income seniors, the blind, or disabled adults with a monthly income of no more than $1,011 and assets that total no more than $3,000, for families of two people. The Institutionalized Individuals program provides care to low-income people who need to stay in a nursing or intermediate care facility or receive home- and community-based services. They must have a monthly income no greater than $2,022 and resources no greater than $2,000.

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