TennCare director calls program a 'turnaround,' cites new benefits and record satisfaction

TennCare Director Steven Smith told the Tennessee House Insurance Committee on Jan. 20 that the state gency's Medicaid program has "turn[ed] around" under the TennCare 3 waiver, pointing to program expansions and higher provider payments as evidence of improvement. "TennCare is more successful today than at any point in its 30 year history," Smith said.

Smith listed several program changes tied to the waiver nd shared-savings model: the addition of a comprehensive adult dental benefit, expanded services for seniors and people with disabilities through Choices and Katie Beckett programs, and investments in behavioral and rural health. He said the state has committed $100,000,000 for behavioral health and $200,000,000 for rural health in year-two shared savings and that the program has reinvested roughly $1,000,000,000 in the first three years of the waiver.

The director framed those investments as part of a cycle in which TennCare keeps cost growth constrained, achieves shared savings and reinvests savings to improve care and reduce costs further. Smith credited the General Assembly and health-plan partners for the results and said the program has increased physician and behavioral-health rates in recent years. He also pointed to a University of Tennessee survey that reported a 97 percent satisfaction rate among TennCare members.

The committee did not vote on policy changes at the meeting. Members indicated interest in follow-up materials on program outcomes, including more detailed financial breakdowns of the investments and the methodology behind the satisfaction survey.