Tennessee Senate Bill SB0647

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/31/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 9 and Title 71, relative to medical expenses.

Summary

SB0647 creates a new “medical expense relief fund” within Tennessee’s general fund to help the next of kin or estate of a deceased TennCare enrollee pay certain outstanding medical debts and related expenses. The bill authorizes the Department of Human Services to administer the program, set application procedures, determine eligibility and award criteria, and decide whether grants should be paid to family members, the estate’s legal representative, or directly to creditors. The bill contemplates grants for unpaid medical debt, medical assistance benefits, premiums, and other costs owed from the estate under Tennessee law and federal law. It also allows the department to accept gifts or grants from public or private sources, requires investment of fund balances, carries forward unspent money, and directs the department to adopt rules and submit annual reporting to legislative budget committees. The bill states an intent for an initial $250 million appropriation, but also makes clear that no money may be spent unless specifically appropriated in the general appropriations act.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would add a new state-funded program in Title 71 to address medical debt obligations tied to deceased TennCare recipients and would give the Department of Human Services new administrative and rulemaking responsibilities. It would not itself appropriate money, but it would establish the legal framework for a special fund, grant process, and reporting requirements that could affect estates, heirs, creditors, and the state budget once funding is provided.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong support in committee: the Senate Health and Welfare Committee recommended passage unanimously, 9-0, and referred the bill onward to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means. No committee transcript was provided, but the vote suggests the measure was received favorably at least at the committee level.

Contention

The main policy issue is fiscal: the bill contemplates a very large initial appropriation of $250 million, while also stating that it is not itself an appropriation and cannot be implemented without funding in the general appropriations act. Potential points of contention include whether state dollars should be used to pay medical debts of deceased TennCare enrollees, how grants should be prioritized among next of kin, estates, and creditors, and how the department should verify need and ensure accountability through reporting and documentation requirements.