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TennCare offering coverage for few
[February 18, 2011]

TennCare offering coverage for few


Feb 18, 2011 (The Knoxville News-Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- This medical coverage is first-call, first-served -- at least, for now.

From 7-9:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, people with low income and high medical bills can call a toll-free number -- 866-358-3230 -- to request an application for what amounts to a year of TennCare insurance. The first 2,500 will get one.

TennCare's "Standard Spend Down" program is intended only for people with a low income or certain people with high, unpaid medical bills: people at least 65 years old, or blind, or disabled, or who are the caretaker relative of a Medicaid-eligible child.



Those people must have medical bills, accrued during the past 90 days, that amount to enough that their monthly income after medical bills is $241 for one person, $258 for a couple, $317 for a household of three people, $325 for a household of four, $392 for a household of five, or $408 for a household of six. Applicants' resources can't exceed $2,000 ($3,000 for a family of two, with $100 per additional person in the family). And they can't already have other TennCare coverage.

Technically, the state will keep the toll-free number open for as many days as it takes to get 2,500 applicants. But when the Standard Spend Down category was opened in October 2010, all 2,500 calls were received in about an hour, said Kelly Gunderson, TennCare's director of communications, in a news release. Gunderson said all callers who didn't already have TennCare were sent applications; 1,821 returned them. About 500 were approved for coverage, though some applications are still being processed.


Recent legislation called for the expansion of the Spend Down category, which will open and close on a "rolling basis," she said.

"The toll-free number system is used to ensure equal access to Tennessee citizens interested in this program," Gunderson said. All applications will be reviewed for eligibility to TennCare Standard Spend Down and any open Medicaid categories.

The Tennessee Health Care Campaign advocacy group warns callers to have ready their full name, date of birth, Social Security number, mailing address, county and phone number.

In October, "some folks stayed on line for more than 30 minutes before their call was taken. So if you call in on Feb. 22, call in as early as possible and do not give up," THCC's website advises. "If you are put on hold, your call will be taken." Both THCC's and the state's websites have information about what medical bills can be counted, and who is eligible.

Kristi L. Nelson may be reached at 865-342-6434.

To see more of The Knoxville News-Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.knoxnews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.

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