Tennessee Medicaid Eligibility Calculator (2026)
TennCare covers parents and caretakers up to $2,391 a month for a family of three — 100% of the poverty line — but Tennessee never expanded, so adults without children have no TennCare category. CoverKids reaches $5,806.
Verified · TennCare Eligibility Reference Guide
Eligibility checklist
Who TennCare Medicaid covers
TennCare’s reference guide lists caretaker relatives of a child under 18 (or 18 and a full-time student) at 100% of the poverty line, children at 195%, 142% and 133% by age, and pregnant women at 250%.[state] It also keeps a medically needy spend-down for children and pregnant women whose bills are high.[state]
| Group | FPL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parents | 105% | $1,397 | $1,894 | $2,391 | $2,888 | $3,882 |
| Pregnancy | 255% | $3,392 | $4,599 | $5,806 | $7,013 | $9,427 |
| Children | 255% | $3,392 | $4,599 | $5,806 | $7,013 | $9,427 |
CoverKids, including before birth
CoverKids, Tennessee’s CHIP, covers children up to 250% of the poverty line and also covers the unborn children of women who are not eligible in another category.[state] Tennessee’s CHIP-funded Medicaid band is reserved for children who lose Medicaid and lack access to a parent’s employer plan.[MACPAC]
Postpartum through TennCare’s waiver
Tennessee used flexibility in its January 2021 Section 1115 waiver to extend postpartum coverage to 12 months starting April 1, 2022; CMS added it to the waiver terms days later.[KFF]
Applying and long-term care
Apply through TennCare Connect. People in nursing homes or on long-term-care services can qualify with income up to three times the SSI rate — $2,982 a month in 2026.[MACPAC][SSA]
Worked example
A Knoxville parent with a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old earns $2,200 a month. That is 96.6% of the poverty line for 3.
| Parent / caretaker | covered | $2,391 |
| Child 1–5 | covered | $5,806 |
| Child 6–18 | covered | $5,806 |
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