For those seeking health insurance coverage in Tennessee, navigating the options available through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is essential. Key considerations include understanding the enrollment process, evaluating different insurance carriers, assessing costs, and exploring available subsidies and financial assistance. This guide will help you navigate the healthcare landscape in Tennessee under Obamacare, ensuring you make informed decisions about your coverage.

What is Obamacare?

Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a comprehensive healthcare reform law in the United States aimed at improving access to healthcare and making it more affordable. In Tennessee, the ACA has played a pivotal role in expanding health insurance coverage by creating marketplaces for purchasing private insurance, offering subsidies to lower-income individuals and families, and implementing vital consumer protections like coverage for preexisting conditions. It has had a significant impact on healthcare access and affordability in the state.

When to enroll in Tennessee Health Insurance?

Tennessee Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period

During the open enrollment period for 2024 coverage, a record-breaking total of over 555,000 individuals enrolled in private health plans through the Tennessee exchange. The previous record, set the year before, was just under 350,000 enrollees.

The Tennessee Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period is a designated time frame during which individuals and families can enroll in health insurance plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This annual enrollment period typically occurs from November 1st to December 15^th (for coverage beginning January 1 of the following year), though specific dates may vary from year to year. During this period, eligible residents of Tennessee can shop for health insurance plans, compare coverage options, and enroll in a plan that suits their healthcare needs. It’s a critical opportunity for those without employer-sponsored coverage to access comprehensive health insurance, often with subsidies to make it more affordable. Outside of this open enrollment period, individuals may still qualify for Special Enrollment Periods if they experience certain life events like marriage, the birth of a child, or loss of other coverage.

Other Tennessee health insurance enrollment periods

In addition to the annual Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period, Tennessee residents may have access to other enrollment periods under specific circumstances:

1. Special Enrollment Period (SEP): SEPs are available for individuals and families who experience qualifying life events, such as getting married, having a child, losing other health coverage, or relocating to Tennessee. When these events occur, you typically have a limited window (usually 60 days) to enroll in a new health insurance plan or make changes to your existing coverage.
2. Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment: Tennessee offers year-round enrollment for Medicaid (TennCare) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide coverage to eligible low-income individuals and children. You can apply for these programs at any time if you meet the eligibility criteria.
3. Medicare Enrollment: If you are eligible for Medicare, you can enroll during specific enrollment periods, including the Initial Enrollment Period, the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), and Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) triggered by certain circumstances like moving or losing employer coverage.
4. Employer-Sponsored Coverage: Many employers offer annual open enrollment periods for their employees, allowing them to choose or change their health insurance plans. These periods typically occur in the fall, and employees should be informed by their employers about the dates and options available.

ACA health insurance carriers in Tennessee 

For 2024 coverage in Tennessee, six insurers provide health plans through the exchange/Marketplace, the same number as in 2023.

The availability of these plans varies across different regions of the state, but every area in Tennessee has at least three exchange-based health insurers offering plans for 2024.

1. BlueCross BlueShield
2. UnitedHealthcare
3. Oscar Health
4. Ambetter
5. Cigna
6. Ascension

How do I get cheap health insurance in Tennessee?

To find health insurance that both suits your health insurance needs and your budget it is wise to:

1. Assess your personal needs: Do you need Rx coverage? Do you have a doctor you like? Think about the coverage you – and your family, if applicable – have received in the past and may need in the future. Think about if you want to schedule any large medical procedures for the upcoming year. All these things may affect what kind of health insurance plan you buy.
2. Research your available options in Tennessee: Start on eHealth.com to compare available ACA plans, short-term plans, and other alternatives.
3. Understand what options you can qualify for: You can enroll in any health insurance plan during open enrollment. For short-term health insurance and other medical insurance alternatives, you can apply any time, but you typically need to answer medical questions and may be declined.
   If you qualify for a special enrollment period, you will have a 60-day window to enroll in major medical insurance outside of open enrollment. You can read more about special enrollment periods and qualifying life events on eHealth’s resource center.
4. See if you qualify for discounts: ACA plans may be available to you with a tax credit, which can save you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on monthly premiums.
5. Make sure your prescriptions are covered: eHealth.com provides a prescription drug coverage comparison tool that helps you find the plan that covers your drugs with the lowest out-of-pocket cost.
6. Make sure your doctor is covered: use a physician finder tool that lets you compare plans using your preferred doctor.
7. Enroll online: eHealth makes it easy to complete your health insurance application online, even if you qualify for a tax credit.

Tennessee Open Enrollment FAQs

When is Tennessee health insurance marketplace open enrollment this year?

Open enrollment for health insurance in Tennessee begins on November 1, 2024 and lasts until January 15, 2025. To gain access to the insurance marketplace in TN, you must sign up at healthcare.gov to get started. It is important to note, however, that Affordable Care Act customers must be enrolled by December 15, 2024 to be insured on January 1, 2025. 

The insurance marketplace in TN may have different dates than other states with state-run marketplaces. 

Does open enrollment for TN Obamacare apply in all Tennessee cities?

Open enrollment for Obamacare in Tennessee applies to all Tennessee cities. 

How much does health insurance cost in Tennessee?

The average marketplace benchmark premiums in Tennessee in 2024 is about $501 per person, while the national average is $477, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Healthcare marketplace rates in TN depend primarily on the benchmark plan, fluctuating plan rates, projected income, and the effects of subsidies. However, it is believed that because of the Inflation Reduction Act and the extension of subsidy enhancements through 2025, health coverage will be more affordable now than before 2021.

Find health insurance in Tennessee with eHealth

With eHealth, you can get in contact with licensed agents who can help you find individual and family health insurance and answer any questions you may have about the Tennessee Open Enrollment Period. If you are enrolled in a health plan and suspect that the rates are too high or that the health coverage is inadequate, navigate to eHealtinsurance.com and find out how much money you may be able to save by enrolling in a different plan.