How TennCare Covers Critical Care for a Single Mother Battling Cancer

Nearly two years ago, one of our clients received news that no one wants to hear – she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Originally insured through the Marketplace, she was advised to apply for Medicaid by a Marketplace healthcare navigator. Falling under the Breast of Cervical Cancer (BCC) category of TennCare, our client qualified for Medicaid coverage. Her cancer treatment is completely covered by Medicaid. 

Today, our client is still in the midst of her battle against cancer — managing treatment on top of working full-time, raising her 16-year-old son as a single mother, and caring for her aging mother. She will find out this June if she is in remission; however, she will continue to take hormone medication as treatment. Hormone therapy for breast cancer typically lasts for at least five years, and Medicaid will cover this medication for the duration of our client’s treatment.  

Our client is not the only one in her family that relies on Medicaid. Her 16-year-old son, a sophomore in high school and an avid swimmer, is also insured through TennCare. His coverage allows him to attend speech therapy, which our client could not afford otherwise. Medicaid provides vital services for people of all ages and healthcare needs — our client’s family encapsulates this reality.  

When asked what her life would be like without Medicaid, our client candidly responded, “I would die slowly.” For low-income cancer patients, having Medicaid coverage means the ability to receive life-saving treatments at no cost. According to the American Cancer Society, about 300,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year, and Medicaid serves as an essential lifeline for thousands of breast cancer patients.