Bill > HB1271

This bill directs the state's commissioner of finance and administration to request a waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that oversees programs like Medicare and Medicaid, to change how the state receives federal funding for healthcare. Specifically, the state wants to receive this funding as a "block grant," which means a fixed amount of federal money given to the state to manage its own healthcare programs, rather than receiving funds based on the specific services provided. This waiver would allow the state to continue providing medical assistance to the current TennCare II waiver population, which refers to a specific group of individuals already receiving benefits under a special waiver program, and also extend this medical assistance to individuals whose incomes are below 138 percent of the federal poverty line, a measure used to determine poverty levels. The block grant would convert the federal share of all medical assistance funding into a tailored allotment for the state, adjusted for inflation and population growth, and the request for this waiver must be submitted within 120 days of the bill becoming law.