A gap in TennCare coverage has put a Columbia resident $985,000 in debt. 

The patient, Gary Glover, was eligible for Institutional Medicaid, which covers hospital or nursing home stays of 30 days or more for older adults and those with disabilities. He did not receive coverage for the first 16 days of his 124-day hospital stay related to an undisclosed illness, however, because TennCare does not cover through Institutional Medicaid until a patient has applied for coverage.