SB 437 requires most health insurance plans in Tennessee to cover mental health and substance abuse services through a specific integrated care model called the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (PCCM), effective July 1, 2025. This model involves primary care providers, care managers, and psychiatric consultants working together to coordinate patient treatment using validated tools and regular assessments. Insurance plans may deny coverage only if they comply with existing state and federal mental health parity laws (including the MHPAEA) and medical necessity standards. The requirement applies to TennCare and CoverKids programs when services are deemed medically necessary by program guidelines.
HB 1318 extends Tennessee's Access Tennessee health insurance program, which provides coverage to low-income residents, by changing its expiration date from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030. This amendment directly affects qualifying Tennessee residents who rely on the program for health coverage, ensuring continued access through 2030. The bill modifies Tennessee Code Annotated Section 56-7-2916 to reflect the new end date without altering program eligibility or benefits. It is a straightforward extension of an existing state program, not a new policy. The bill became law as Public Chapter 185 on April 30, 2025.
SB 1178 requires Tennessee's Department of Disability and Aging and TennCare to create guidelines enabling family members to work as caregivers for people with disabilities. It prohibits Medicaid service providers from denying employment to qualified family caregivers based on factors like family relationship, residence, age, or guardianship status. The bill also prevents providers from reducing benefits for individuals with disabilities solely because their caregiver is a family member. These changes ensure family caregivers can work without discrimination under Tennessee's Medicaid programs.
HB 515 requires Tennessee school districts and public charter schools to include state-published information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes when sharing health-related updates with parents of K-12 students. Starting August 1, 2025, schools must provide this specific diabetes information, which covers descriptions, risk factors, warning signs, screening processes, and treatment recommendations. The Tennessee Department of Education, working with the Department of Health, must publish this free resource on its website by July 31, 2025, for schools to access and distribute. This bill directly affects school districts, charter schools, and parents of K-12 students by standardizing diabetes health information in school communications.
HB 712 requires Tennessee's Department of Disability and Aging and TennCare to create and publish guidelines for hiring family members as caregivers for individuals with disabilities receiving Medicaid services. It prohibits service providers from denying employment to qualified family caregivers based on factors like family relationships, residence, age, guardianship status, or specific Medicaid waiver programs (including Katie Beckett and self-determination waivers). The bill also prevents providers from reducing benefits for individuals with disabilities solely because care is provided by a family member, unless through the person-centered planning process. This directly affects family caregivers seeking employment, disability service providers, and individuals receiving long-term care services under Tennessee's Medicaid programs.
HB 243 extends the legal existence of Tennessee's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services until June 30, 2029, preventing its automatic termination. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated sections 4-29-246 and 4-29-250 to remove the department's previous sunset date and formally define it within state law. This affects the department's ongoing operations and the Tennessee residents who rely on its services. The law became effective April 29, 2025, after passing through the legislature.
SB 440 clarifies that standalone dental and vision insurance plans (known as "excepted benefits") are not required to cover specific medical treatments, services, or conditions unless state law explicitly mandates it. This change directly affects health insurance plans offering these stand-alone benefits, removing an implied obligation to cover certain medical needs under those plans. The law applies to all new or renewed insurance policies issued on or after July 1, 2025, ensuring clarity for insurers and policyholders. It does not alter existing coverage requirements for standard health insurance plans.
SB 940 expands Tennessee's "Good Samaritan" law to include alcohol-related overdoses, allowing people to seek medical help for alcohol poisoning without facing prosecution for alcohol violations. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 by updating definitions to replace "drug overdose" with "overdose" and "drug violation" with "drug or alcohol violation" throughout the law. This change directly affects individuals experiencing or witnessing alcohol overdoses, as well as those providing emergency assistance. The policy removes legal barriers to calling for help during alcohol-related medical emergencies, treating alcohol and drug overdoses equally under the immunity provision. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.
SB 299 amends Tennessee's medical cannabis commission membership requirements to include a patient caregiver (or former caregiver of a deceased patient) and a subject matter expert in cannabis cultivation, processing, distribution, or medical prescription. The bill also updates the commission's reporting duties to explicitly allow it to provide policy recommendations to the legislature alongside its findings. These changes, effective April 15, 2025, directly affect how the commission is structured and the scope of its advice to lawmakers on medical cannabis policy.
HB 1349 requires county medical examiners to test decedents involved in mass shootings resulting in four or more deaths for psychotropic drugs (medications treating mental health conditions or affecting mood/behavior). It mandates that examiners share anonymized drug data - without identifying information - to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Department of Health. The Health Science Center must study drug interactions and submit quarterly reports to legislative committees on this data. This bill directly affects medical examiners, health agencies, and the research conducted on drug-related incidents in Tennessee.
