Use our CareTN app and maternity program and use the gift cards for things that you and your baby need.
- $25 for enrolling in the maternity program
- $25 for completing at least 10 check ins
- $25 for completing the maternity program through postpartum
- Up to $75 more in gift cards if you qualify for and complete the Stop Tobacco and/or the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Caregiver programs
Gift card requirements
Medicaid (TennCareSM) or CoverKids must be your primary insurance. You must be eligible on the date you complete each part of the maternity program. You’ll get the gift card(s) within 60 days after you complete each part of the program.
CoverKids is full health coverage for children 18 and under and pregnant women whose families cannot afford employer-sponsored insurance or individual insurance and who make too much to be eligible for TennCare. CoverKids is part of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance to uninsured children in all 50 states.
Any child or pregnant woman who is eligible for TennCare will be covered by TennCare, not CoverKids. Children and pregnant women who aren’t eligible for TennCare may be eligible for CoverKids.
For qualifying families, there is no monthly premium—only copayments, for sick visits and medications. However, you can’t be part of any other health plan.
- CoverKids must be your only health plan.
- To get benefits, your child cannot be covered under any other plan.
- You cannot use CoverKids as a second health plan.
How to apply:
CoverKids applicants applying for child (non-pregnant) coverage can apply online by visiting www.tenncareconnect.tn.gov or toll-free 1-855-259-0701.
There are four different CoverKids application options are available to pregnant women:
What services are covered?
CoverKids provides full health insurance with an emphasis on preventive health services and includes the following:
- Vaccinations and well-child visits
- Physician services
- Hospitalization
- Mental health services
- Physical, speech and occupational therapy
- Vision
- Dental
See a list of CoverKids benefits
What are the eligibility requirements for CoverKids?
- Tennessee resident
- U.S. citizen or qualified legal resident (babies born in the U.S. will be considered
citizens) - Age 18 or younger
- Not eligible for TennCare
- Household income up to $64,375 annually for a family of four
- Children who are Native American/Alaskan native may be eligible for additional
benefits and should include federally recognized tribal paperwork with the
application.
- Maternity coverage available for pregnant women at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level who meet other eligibility criteria
- CoverKids must be your only health plan. To get benefits, your child cannot be
part of any other plan.
Does CoverKids include a maternity benefit?
Pregnant women of any age who meet CoverKids eligibility criteria may be eligible for maternity benefits through the program, with no monthly premium. However, if you already have other maternity coverage, you are not eligible for CoverKids CoverKids can’t be used as a secondary plan.
What are the income requirements for CoverKids?
Your family's household income must be below 250% the federal poverty level. You can view federal poverty level qualifications here: //www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tenncare/attachments/eligibilityrefguide.pdf
Will CoverKids cover uninsurable children and children with special health needs?
Yes. CoverKids is a guaranteed issue policy, and there are no pre-existing condition exclusions for its members.
What is the cost associated with CoverKids?
Families who meet the income guidelines will not pay monthly premiums for CoverKids but will be required to pay fees, called copayments, for certain services. Copayments will vary based on income. By federal guidelines, a family’s total annual out-of-pocket costs cannot exceed 5 percent of the annual household income.
My child is eligible for TennCare. Can I switch coverage to CoverKids?
No. Any child who is eligible for TennCare will be covered accordingly. In fact, every application for CoverKids will first be screened for TennCare eligibility before enrolling the child in CoverKids.
Tennessee will cover a year's worth of postpartum healthcare for new moms in its TennCare program, a year after slashing the proposal from its budget during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The additional $7 million will extend care for mothers on TennCare insurance plans from two months to twelve months, a press release from the Governor's office said.
They are covering more appointments with medical providers. Officials said it is a bid to save the lives of hundreds of new mothers who are dying before their babies turn one.
"If we’re connecting with women more frequently and having more touchpoints after they have a baby, then we are going to pick up on some of those early symptoms that are leading to higher rates of maternal mortality," said Jodie Simms-Macleod, the midwifery director at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
From 2017 through 2019, the Tennessee Department of Health reports more than 220 mothers died pregnancy-associated deaths within a year of childbirth. In nearly 80 percent of cases, the department said the deaths were preventable.
It's even worse for Black moms, who are one-and-a-half times more likely to die than their White peers.
In the hectic first months of a baby's life, Simms-Macleod said mothers' health sometimes feels secondary.
"A lot of times when there are other health concerns going on, sometimes those get overlooked because women say 'Oh I just had a baby, it’s normal that I’m really tired,'" she said.
But postpartum visits can be crucially important to catch early symptoms of common conditions like postpartum depression or blood pressure so high it could cause strokes and seizures.
"Addressing these symptoms really early and having someone who listens to you and can help identify them early is really important," Simms-Macleod said. "Once these symptoms develop, sometimes the disease progresses really quickly."
Most mothers have only one or two appointments in the weeks after delivery, she said. Additional TennCare coverage could lead to appointments and care that could keep new mothers alive.
Two-thirds of mothers who died within a year of delivery were on TennCare at the time of their child's birth.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn (WJHL) — Pregnant and postpartum mothers in Tennessee who are eligible for TennCare now have health care and dental insurance coverage for a full year.
Previously, coverage under the state’s Medicaid program lasted just 60 days.
The expansion which took effect April 1 is intended to offer enhanced care and ease of access to care for thousands of mothers during a medically critical time.
“The first 12 months after birth is really a critical time not only for the mom but for the child as well,” said Dr. Victor Wu, TennCare’s chief medical officer. “If we can help improve our Mom’s health, we know that will improve infant’s health.”
The expansion includes dental coverage for a year, a benefit Wu said had not been offered until this point.
“We know that oral health is a really important part of anyone’s health in general, but research has shown pregnancy can complicate oral health and oral health disease can complicate pregnancy,” he said.
The expansion is part of Gov. Bill Lee’s “Supporting Strong Families” initiative launched in 2021 and will immediately benefit as many as 6,000 women in Tennessee, Wu said. It coincides with a new federal law allowing states to provide a year of Medicaid postpartum coverage.
“We know how stressful it is in the first weeks after you deliver let alone the first year, and having the ability to have consistent eligibility under TennCare and not having to worry about all that comes with insurance will help our moms and kids as well,” Dr. Wu said.
Mothers hoping to take advantage of the pregnancy and postpartum TennCare benefits expansion must update their TennCare Connect account to notify the state they are expecting a baby. They can call 855-259-0701, register online at www.tenncareconnect.tn.gov, or visit their local county health department.
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