The federal public health emergency has been renewed at least 10 times in 90-day increments since January 2020. For TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, and health care advocacy organizations, each postponement means they have 90 more days to prepare for hundreds of thousands of people to reenroll in TennCare.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a person enrolled in TennCare would have to renew their coverage each year, proving their income level and other demographic traits were still in compliance with TennCare limits.  For nearly three years, no one has had to renew and therefore no one has been cycled off the health insurance program.Â