Tennessee House Bill HB1393

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Failed: 2/3/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to medical assistance.

Summary

HB1393 would require the governor, through the commissioner of finance and administration, to submit a new waiver request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services within 180 days of the act’s effective date. The waiver would seek federal approval to provide medical assistance coverage to individuals with gross annual income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. If approved by both the federal government and the commissioner, the waiver would take effect immediately. In practical terms, the bill is aimed at expanding access to Medicaid-like medical assistance for low-income Tennesseans. It does not itself directly expand coverage; instead, it directs the state to pursue federal approval for a waiver that would authorize the coverage expansion under Tennessee’s medical assistance program.

Impact

The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, by deleting and replacing Section 71-5-126 to impose a new state obligation to seek a federal waiver for medical assistance coverage up to 138% of the federal poverty level. It would affect the administration of Tennessee’s TennCare/Medicaid-related program by requiring action from the governor and commissioner of finance and administration, and any coverage expansion would depend on federal approval and state implementation.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in committee, as it failed in the House TennCare Subcommittee by a vote of 2-5. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate support or opposition arguments beyond the vote itself. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed skeptically by the committee majority.

Contention

The main point of contention is the proposed expansion of medical assistance coverage to individuals up to 138% of the federal poverty level, which can raise concerns about program cost, eligibility expansion, and state administrative obligations. Supporters would likely view the bill as a coverage-expansion measure for low-income residents, while opponents in the subcommittee evidently did not support directing the state to pursue the waiver. Because there are no transcripts, the specific objections and the identities of individual proponents or opponents are not documented in the provided materials.