BCBS of Tennessee To Offer Private Coverage for TennCare Beneficiaries Expected to Lose Coverage

Beginning at the end of the year, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will begin offering private insurance to the 160,000 people expected to lose their coverage through TennCare, the state's Medicaid managed care program, the Tennessean reports (Lewis, Tennessean, 10/11). A waiver approved earlier this year by the federal government allows the state to restructure eligibility and benefits offered under the program (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 8/23). As part of the changes, many adults whose incomes exceed the federal poverty level, $18,100 per year for a family of four, will no longer be eligible for the program beginning in January. Linda Andreae, BCBS vice president, said the insurer will offer low-cost coverage with large deductibles and no mental health or drug coverage in order to keep premium rates down. Enrollees in the new plan will receive the same discount on prescription drugs that BCBS receives, Andreae added. Tony Garr, executive director of the patient advocacy group Tennessee Health Care Campaign, criticized the plan for not offering prescription drug coverage, saying, "A low-income person might have to choose, do I buy medicine or do I put food on the table?" (Tennessean, 10/11).