NASHVILLE (WATE) - The TennCare Standard Spend Down program will again offer open enrollment to new applicants on Thursday, Sept. 13, beginning at 7 p.m. Knoxville time.
Standard Spend Down is available through a waiver to the Medicaid program for a limited number of qualified low-income individuals, or those with high, unpaid medical bills who are aged, blind, disabled, or the caretaker relative of a Medicaid eligible child.
Eligible people must have enough unpaid medical bills to meet the "spend down" threshold to qualify for coverage.
A special call-in line through DHS is set up for applicants. The only way to request an application is by calling the toll-free number: 1-866-358-3230. It will be open 7:00-9:30 p.m. Knoxville time on Sept. 13.
Operators will close the phone line as soon as 2,500 applicants call in.
If 2,500 calls aren't received on Sept. 13, the phone lines will be open 7:00-9:30 p.m. on subsequent weekdays until the required number of applicants call in.
Applicants should check eligibility qualifications before calling.
DHS will send applications to all callers who are not already on TennCare and will review their eligibility for any open Medicaid categories and the newly opened Standard Spend Down category.
Standard Spend Down eligibility:
- In addition to being aged (65 or older), blind, disabled, or a caretaker relative
- An individual must meet certain income restrictions, or be able to "spend down" qualifying unpaid medical bills to that limit. (To be considered blind or disabled, an individual must meet standards set by the Social Security Administration.)
Applicants also must not have resources that:
- Exceed $2,000 for a family of one and $3,000 for a family of two with an additional $100 added per additional individual in the family.
- A person's unpaid medical bill must have been accrued within the past 90 days. Medical bills paid by the applicant within the past 30 days may count towards meeting an applicant's spend down requirement.
Pregnant women and children are still eligible for the Medically Needy Spend Down program.
The only way to request an application for the Standard Spend Down program is through the toll free number.
People interested in the Standard Spend Down call line who are deaf/hard of hearing/speech impaired and using a TTY (text telephone) device should first call the Tennessee Relay Service at 1-800-848-0298. They will be prompted to enter the number they're trying to reach and a communications assistant will act as the go-between.
