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SB0851 • 2026

TennCare

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 5, relative to medicaid expansion.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Lamar, Salinas
Last action
2025-03-26
Official status
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Health and Welfare Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details about the immediate fiscal impact or the exact number of people who will be affected by the Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid Expansion in Tennessee

This bill allows the governor of Tennessee to expand Medicaid coverage according to federal guidelines and negotiate with federal agencies about how this expansion will work.

What This Bill Does

  • Gives the governor permission to increase who can get Medicaid based on federal rules.
  • Lets the governor talk with federal health care offices to decide details about expanding Medicaid.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People in Tennessee who might qualify for expanded Medicaid coverage
  • The state government of Tennessee
  • Federal health care offices

Terms To Know

Medicaid
A program that helps low-income people pay for medical care.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
Also known as Obamacare, a federal law that aims to make health insurance more accessible and affordable.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact number of people who will get Medicaid because of this bill is not clear.
  • How much money the state will save or spend on uninsured adults' healthcare after expansion is uncertain.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed in s/c Tenncare Subcommittee of Insurance Committee

  2. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Tenncare Subcommittee for 2/17/2026

  3. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Tenncare Subcommittee to 2/17/2026

  5. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Tenncare Subcommittee for 2/3/2026

  6. 2026-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  7. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Tenncare Subcommittee for 1/27/2026

  8. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  9. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  10. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Tenncare Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026

  11. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Tenncare Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  12. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  14. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Tenncare Subcommittee

  15. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  16. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Insurance Committee

  17. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  18. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  19. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1101
By Salinas

SENATE BILL 851
By Lamar

SB0851
001182
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71,
Chapter 5, relative to medicaid expansion.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 71-5-126, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting:
The governor is authorized to expand medicaid eligibility in accordance with the
federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148). The governor
is authorized to negotiate with the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services
with respect to the terms of medicaid expansion.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.