Number of uninsured Tennesseans drops to lowest levels since 2008

NASHVILLE - The number of uninsured Tennesseans has dropped to its lowest levels since 2008 and to its lowest percentage of the total population - 9.2 percent - in eight years, according to a new University of Tennessee at Knoxville report.

But the report by UT's Center for Business and Economic Research estimates the rate of uninsured children edged up from 2011, rising from 2.4 percent to 2.7 percent children.

The report, "The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients 2012," is based on a survey of the heads of 5,000 households, which has been conducted annually beginning in 1993.

UT estimates that this year 577,813 or 9.2 percent of the state's population reported having no insurance. That was the lowest number since 2008 when the Center estimated 566,633 people had no insurance.

TennCare is the state's expanded version of Medicaid, a jointly funded state and federal program that offers medical assistance for low-income children, pregnant women and disabled adults.

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