Tennessee House Bill HB2411

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 3/3/26
• Refer: 3/24/26
• Chaptered: 5/5/26
• Passed: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 52, Chapter 5, Part 6 and Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to statewide planning and policy council.

Summary

HB2411 amends Tennessee law governing the statewide planning and policy council to expand its role in matters involving TennCare. The bill changes the council’s advisory duties so that it advises not only the Department of Health-related entities already covered in statute, but also the bureau of TennCare and the director of TennCare. It also updates the council’s charge to include advice on appropriations for implementing TennCare waivers, in addition to the department’s programs. The bill further changes the council’s membership and appointment structure. It adds the director of long-term care services for the bureau of TennCare, or a designee, as a council member, and requires that director to appoint one representative from each of TennCare’s contracted managed care organizations. It also revises language so that both the commissioner and the director of TennCare share responsibility for making certain recommendations or decisions under the statute. The act takes effect upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Title 52, Chapter 5, Part 6, and Title 71, Chapter 5, to formally incorporate the bureau of TennCare into the statewide planning and policy council’s advisory and planning framework. Practically, this expands the council’s statutory scope to include TennCare waiver implementation and gives TennCare leadership and managed care organizations a direct role in the council’s work. The affected parties include the council itself, the Department of Health, the bureau of TennCare, the director of TennCare, long-term care services leadership, and TennCare’s contracted managed care organizations.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong support for the bill. It received unanimous or near-unanimous favorable recommendations in the House TennCare Subcommittee and the House Insurance Committee, with no recorded opposition in those votes. The bill’s progression suggests it was viewed as a technical or administrative update to align the council’s duties with TennCare-related policy responsibilities.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. The only notable point of possible discussion is the expansion of the council’s membership to include TennCare leadership and representatives from contracted managed care organizations, which could raise questions about representation and influence in future policymaking. However, the committee votes indicate no recorded opposition, and the bill appears to have been treated as a routine statutory update rather than a contested policy change.