Tennessee House Bill HB1864

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/26
• Refer: 2/2/26
• Refer: 3/3/26
• Refer: 3/17/26
• Refer: 3/23/26
• Refer: 4/1/26
• Refer: 4/7/26
• Engrossed: 4/13/26
• Enrolled: 4/23/26
• Passed: 5/19/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 10, relative to medicaid reimbursement for medicaid nursing facilities.

Summary

HB1864 amends Tennessee’s Medicaid nursing facility reimbursement provisions by pushing several statutory dates forward one year. The bill changes references from fiscal year 2025-2026 to fiscal year 2026-2027 and from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 to July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 in multiple sections of Tennessee Code Annotated Title 71, Chapter 5, Part 10. It also extends the effective date in the reimbursement framework to June 30, 2027. In practical terms, the bill does not create a new reimbursement program so much as it extends the existing Medicaid nursing facility reimbursement timeline for another year. The measure affects nursing facilities that receive Medicaid payments and the state agencies responsible for administering TennCare and related reimbursement rules. It takes effect July 1, 2026.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 71-5-1002, 71-5-1003, and 71-5-1010 by updating fiscal-year and date references tied to Medicaid reimbursement for nursing facilities. Its legal effect is to continue the current reimbursement structure and related deadlines through FY 2026-2027, thereby preserving the existing statutory framework for another year for Medicaid-participating nursing homes and the state’s Medicaid administration.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported throughout the legislative process. It advanced unanimously or near-unanimously through the TennCare, Insurance, Government Operations, and Finance committees and subcommittees, and it passed the House overwhelmingly on third consideration. The final Senate floor vote was also strongly favorable, with only one dissenting vote, indicating general agreement that the date extensions were routine and noncontroversial.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The only notable point is that the bill’s final Senate vote included one nay, but no committee opposition or transcript-based objections are provided. Any disagreement likely would have centered on the policy of extending Medicaid nursing facility reimbursement timelines and the associated fiscal implications for the state budget, though the vote history suggests those concerns were limited.