TennCare - As introduced, authorizes the governor to expand medicaid pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; authorizes the governor to negotiate with the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services to determine the terms of the expansion. - Amends TCA Title 71, Chapter 5.

SB 851 would authorize Tennessee's governor to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income residents under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), directly affecting thousands of Tennesseans currently ineligible for Medicaid. The bill specifically allows the governor to negotiate the terms of this expansion with federal officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It amends state law to remove barriers to implementing the ACA's Medicaid expansion, which would extend health coverage to more adults with low incomes. The bill does not create new funding but provides the legal framework for the state to join the federal Medicaid expansion program.