SB 676 requires gender clinics receiving state funding to offer both gender transition and detransition procedures, and mandates that insurers covering transition procedures must also cover detransition. It applies to all gender clinics licensed in Tennessee and insurance providers offering such coverage. The bill also mandates clinics to report detailed statistics on gender transition procedures (including patient age, procedure type, and diagnoses) to the Department of Health monthly, with annual public reports starting in 2025. These requirements aim to increase transparency around gender healthcare services while imposing specific obligations on covered providers.
SB 898 creates a pilot program to improve maternal health care for pregnant TennCare recipients diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes through remote patient monitoring. The program provides participants with devices to track blood pressure and glucose levels, transmitting data securely to healthcare providers for real-time monitoring and support during pregnancy and up to three months postpartum. Administered by the Bureau of TennCare, it requires at least 300 participants across multiple counties and mandates that a technology vendor (selected by the bureau) deliver devices, provide training, and coordinate with healthcare teams. The pilot must be operational within 180 days of contracting with a managed care organization and technology vendor.
SB 185 establishes minimum (100%) and maximum (120%) reimbursement rates for rural hospitals providing routine inpatient services to TennCare enrollees. It directly affects rural hospitals defined as those with 49 or fewer beds located in non-urban census areas. The bill requires these rates to be based on each hospital's current Medicare reimbursement rates for the federal fiscal year, rather than a fixed formula. The legislation is pending review by the Senate Finance Committee and has not yet become law.
SB 210 establishes separate reimbursement rates for rural and urban ambulance services under Tennessee's TennCare program. Rural ambulance providers will receive 100% of Medicare's allowable charge for services to TennCare recipients, while urban providers receive 67.5%. The bill also authorizes emergency medical services equipment grants for for-profit rural ambulance providers. It defines "rural" and "urban" areas using federal standards (per 42 CFR 414.605) to determine service locations. This directly affects ambulance service providers operating in rural versus urban areas and ensures TennCare covers their services at these adjusted rates.
HB 179 modifies Tennessee's criminal abortion law by adding exceptions that exempt certain abortions from criminal prosecution. It specifies that performing an abortion is not a crime if it is necessary to protect the pregnant person's physical or mental health, or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest (as defined in Tennessee law). The bill amends Title 39, Chapter 15 of Tennessee Code, reclassifying such abortions as non-criminal under these specific circumstances. This change takes effect July 1, 2025, directly affecting licensed physicians performing abortions and pregnant individuals in these defined situations.
House Joint Resolution 91 is a symbolic resolution expressing the Tennessee General Assembly's support for the SREB Crisis Recovery Network. It directly supports Tennessee schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions by endorsing a regional network that provides long-term, specialized counseling services after crises like natural disasters, school shootings, or public emergencies. The resolution recognizes that schools often lack sustained mental health resources, especially in rural areas, and highlights the network’s role in deploying trained counselors to aid recovery for students, teachers, and communities over extended periods. This is a non-binding statement of support, not a law imposing new requirements.
SB 402 prohibits healthcare providers from reporting a patient's medical debt to credit bureaus and bans credit bureaus from including medical debt in consumer credit reports. It directly affects patients (preventing medical debt from damaging credit scores), healthcare providers (who can no longer report such debt to bureaus), and credit bureaus (which must remove existing medical debt records). The law takes effect July 1, 2025, covering all medical debt from healthcare services, though providers may still report to debt collectors. Violations are enforced under Tennessee's Consumer Protection Act, with remedies available through the Attorney General's office.
HB 310 creates a legal presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosed in law enforcement officers or emergency medical responders (like EMTs and paramedics) was incurred while performing job duties, making it automatically eligible for workers' compensation coverage. This applies to those diagnosed after responding to specific incidents, shifting the burden to employers to prove otherwise. The bill amends Tennessee workers' compensation laws (TCA Title 7, Chapter 51 and Title 50, Chapter 6) to explicitly include these professions under the presumption, removing prior exclusions of "firefighter" language. It directly affects first responders who develop PTSD in the line of duty, streamlining their access to benefits starting July 1, 2025.
SB 1390 expands Tennessee's TennCare Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) by creating a new pilot program in a grand division without an existing PACE service area as of 2024. It also allows an existing PACE program in a specific county (population 366,200-366,300) to expand into contiguous counties meeting defined population thresholds (12,700-12,800; 32,800-32,875; or 108,600-108,700). The bill requires applicants to submit service area plans, market analyses, and proof of unmet need, while directing TennCare to coordinate referrals and monitor program quality. This law directly affects elderly Tennesseans eligible for nursing facility-level care who require comprehensive, integrated services through PACE programs.
HB 782 creates a new pilot PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for Elderly) program in one Tennessee grand division without an existing PACE program as of 2024, while allowing current PACE providers in counties with a 2020 census population of 366,200-366,300 to expand into contiguous counties meeting specific population thresholds (12,700-12,800, 32,800-32,875, or 108,600-108,700). It requires applicants to submit service area maps, market analyses proving unmet need, and CMS compliance certifications, and mandates annual reports to legislative leaders. The bill directly affects elderly Tennesseans eligible for PACE care (meeting federal CMS criteria) and PACE providers seeking to expand services. It became effective May 21, 2025, after Governor approval.
