Refugees, asylum seekers to lose TennCare, while state weighs ending immigrant prenatal care

By: Anita Wadhwani

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: January 23, 2026

Words: 631

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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Thousands of legal immigrants will lose access to TennCare beginning in October as a result of new Trump administration policy, while Tennessee officials separately consider barring pregnant women without legal immigration status from accessing publicly-funded prenatal care.

TennCare Director Stephen Smith told lawmakers this week that, beginning Oct. 1, about 8,500 refugees and asylum seekers would be cut from TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program. The cuts are a result of policy changes contained within the Trump …

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