Thirteen Tennessee Medicaid recipients filed a complaint in U.S. District Court claiming that HHS' approval of the program's block grant waiver violates federal rules, according to the Murfreesboro Post. Tennessee is the first state to receive a Medicaid block grant.
The recipients, who filed the complaint last month, claimed the waiver allows the state to restrict prescription drug coverage, eliminates the three months' retroactive coverage and requires beneficiaries to enroll in managed care plans, the article said.
Under the block grant, which was approved at the end of former President Donald Trump's term and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee, the state would receive federal money all at once instead of incrementally.
Tennessee has used managed care plans for Medicaid since 1994. TennCare, the state's Medicaid program, provides healthcare services to roughly 1.2 million residents, the article said.