Amelia has been receiving support from TJC for almost three years. After leaving her job in the medical field to care for her children, she dedicated herself to protecting and advocating for them and for other children like them. After Amelia married her husband and best friend, their family was terminated from TennCare Medicaid, leaving them suddenly unable to afford life-sustaining care for their two medically complex children. Without TennCare, Amelia’s son would be confin

Marcous, a sweet, faith-filled 11-year-old boy, lives in a multigenerational home in Davidson County. He finds comfort in his faith and joy in reading and playing games. Marcous lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that mostly affects boys. Duchenne is a progressive condition with no cure. By ages 10-12, three out of four children with Duchenne lose the ability to walk. By age 20, people with Duchenne usually start experiencing heart and lung compl

In January 2026, Nan Glenn from Williamson County reached out to the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) for help with her daughter’s TennCare renewal. Her daughter, like all little kids, is a happy, joyful little girl who loves music and dance. She lives with multiple complex medical conditions, including Sotos syndrome and a congenital heart defect. Her medical journey has been long and complicated, requiring care from numerous specialists. She receives 60 hours of highly specia

TJC helped Alyssa's family apply for and ultimately enroll in the Katie Beckett Waiver, a Medicaid program that allows Tennessee children with significant medical needs to receive care at home rather than in an institutional setting. While the Katie Beckett Waiver provides critical support to families, its enrollment process lacks synchronization and uniformity. TJC helped Finley successfully secure a spot on the waitlist.

Did you know that TennCare Medicaid covers 50% of births in Tennessee? For thousands of pregnant women, Medicaid provides essential prenatal and postpartum coverage, allowing expecting and new mothers to focus on what matters most—their health and the health of their baby. One TennCare beneficiary is Tiairah, a proud daughter, sister, and new mother. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as hobbies like bowling, go-karting, and, as she puts it, "anything f

In 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in the United States 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men experience sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Nearly 43.5 million women and 20.7 million men are victims of interpersonal violence at some point in their lives in this country alone. This abuse can come in many different forms. Interpersonal violence can happen anywhere, across any age, race,

For 15 years, Elisabeth was a church pianist without health insurance. She had always embraced a healthy lifestyle, so when she qualified for Medicaid in 2014, she had no idea it would end up saving her life. In early 2015, Elisabeth began experiencing troubling symptoms— confusion, depression, and eventually seizures. When a small bump to the head led to a major seizure, tests revealed a large brain tumor pressing on the upper right hemisphere of her brain. The diagnosis:

Georgia* lives in East Tennessee with her husband and their three kids. The family keeps busy. “It’s chaos,” Georgia laughs. “My husband and I are nonstop—we both work full-time. I’m actually on the way to my son’s basketball game right now.” Georgia and her husband work hard to give their kids a joyful childhood. She reflects on the journey that brought her here: “My life growing up was very different from what my kids have now. The experiences my kids are getting? I’m exper

Across the country, Americans feel the healthcare affordability crisis. Emergencies are expensive for uninsured people, and even those who are insured face high costs for various treatments and prescriptions. In Tennessee, approximately 10% of the population is uninsured (700,000 people), 1.4 million people are on Medicaid , 600,000 are insured through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace , and the rest are privately insured. Nearly three million Tennesseans—those uni

If it were not for TennCare Medicaid, Toni Corbin— recognized as a TJC Mother of the Year in 2018 —would not be able to care for her multigenerational household. While she jokes that her home is a little dysfunctional, it is also full of love — and chickens that keep her on her toes. Toni’s home is bustling with life. Her son, granddaughter, great-grandchildren, and even her aging mother all live under one roof. With her own health challenges, including severe arthritis and c

For Andrea, a hardworking single mom of twin boys born prematurely, Medicaid has been a force for good. Andrea’s sons were born at just 31 weeks, over two months premature, weighing in at just four pounds. The twins spent 37 nerve-wracking days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for extra support as they continued to develop outside of the womb. They were enrolled in TennCare when they were about 5 months old and have had TennCare ever since. James and Matthew were di

William “Willy” Bruce of Parsons, Tennessee, loved football, physics, and math. He was working toward a degree in Graphic Design at the University of Tennessee, and he was a father of two sons. Willy passed away from a fatal asthma attack in 2024. He was 25 years old. At the time of his death, Willy was uninsured. He had lost coverage after he turned 21 and aged out of child benefits. He no longer fell into one of the very limited categories of coverage Tennessee provid

Over 600,000 Tennesseans’ health insurance cost will double in January, and a third of them will become uninsured . Some ...