Key Findings. (1) Tennessee's proposal doesn't address the most important question: how many parents and children could lose coverage. In Arkansas, which implemented a similar plan, almost one quarter (23 percent) of affected adults lost their health insurance. If Tennessee has a similar outcome, approximately 68,000 parents will lose their Medicaid coverage in Tennessee. (2) The new rules would predominantly affect Tennessee's poorest mothers. The impact could hit hardest in the state's small towns and rural communities, where parents are more likely to receive Medicaid and where jobs are harder to find. (3) Even if these parents work more hours, they are unlikely to have an offer of health coverage from their employers. Only 15 percent of Tennessee adults living in poverty receive employer-sponsored insurance. (4) The loss of coverage for parents would affect their children, creating more financial hardship for families and risking children's access to health care. Tennessee was one of nine states to see a significant increase in children lacking health coverage in 2017.
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