TennCare continues to report record high levels of satisfaction among enrollees in 2025, according to a new study by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. The study also shows the statewide uninsured rate dropped slightly this year.

The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients, 2025 finds that 97 percent of those enrolled in the TennCare program reported being somewhat satisfied or very satisfied with the program, the highest satisfaction rate since the TennCare study began in 1993. Ninety-seven percent of respondents also note high overall satisfaction with the program for their children.

“No measurement of TennCare’s success is greater than our members’ opinion of their care,” TennCare director Stephen Smith said. “The record member satisfaction is a reflection of the efforts of many to meet the agency’s mission of improving lives through high-quality cost-effective care.”

Matt Harris, Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics and Dr. Michael Stahl PEMBA Faculty Fellow, and Emily Pratt, Boyd Center senior research associate, co-authored the study, which examines the health coverage status of Tennessee residents, the use of medical facilities and satisfaction with medical services received. The study is based on a telephone and online survey of approximately 5,000 households conducted between May and July 2025.

Uninsured Rates in Tennessee

The methodology for reporting the percentage of uninsured Tennesseans changed in 2024 from a single percentage rate to a probable range. This year’s report estimates that in 2025, there were between 45,902 and 78,755 uninsured children in Tennessee, representing a range of 2.9 percent to 5 percent of the population under age 18. About 8.1 percent to 10.2 percent of adults are estimated to be uninsured, down from last year’s estimate of 8.8 percent to 11 percent. Combined, the number of uninsured adults and children ranges from 7 percent to 9.1 percent — also down from last year’s estimate of 7.6 percent to 9.6 percent.

“Decreases in uninsurance rates and high levels of satisfaction with TennCare are both good news for population health,” Harris said. “Being able to access and afford care, particularly for vulnerable populations, is important for our state to continue to grow.”

Affordability remains the most commonly cited reason for people failing to obtain health insurance in 2025, with 91 percent of respondents listing it as a reason for not getting coverage. Uninsured individuals could indicate whether they had been turned down after applying for insurance in 2025, and 34 percent of those respondents said that being turned down was a major reason for their lack of coverage.

Quality and Availability of TennCare

In addition to overall satisfaction with TennCare in 2025, quality of care ranked highly. Seventy-seven percent of TennCare heads of households rated their quality of care as good or excellent, and for children specifically the number rose to 88 percent; both numbers are up 3 percent from 2024. More TennCare households reported that it was easier to get a doctor’s appointment this year, with 37 percent reporting they were able to see a doctor within a day of making an appointment compared to 34 percent last year. About 70 percent said they were able to see a doctor within a week this year, versus 67 percent last year.

Only 15 percent of TennCare users sought nonemergency health care outside their plan in 2025, similar to the 14 percent reported in 2024. Of that 15 percent, about 85 percent reported seeking nonemergency care fewer than four times in the past year. Four percent reported that they had sought care outside of TennCare because the service needed was unavailable, 4 percent said they were dissatisfied with the quality of care from the TennCare provider, 2 percent said there was no TennCare provider in the area and 3 percent had mistakenly made an appointment with a provider who did not accept TennCare.

The Boyd Center has conducted the survey each year since 1993 under contract with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.

—

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stacy Estep (865-974-8304, sestep3@utk.edu)

Erin Hatfield (865-974-6086, ehatfie1@utk.edu)