Help Is at Hand:
New Health Insurance Tax Credits in Tennessee
Starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act will extend health coverage to millions of Americans. This will be done, in part, by offering tax credits to help low- and middle-income Americans afford private coverage. These new tax credits, which will offset a portion of the cost of health insurance premiums, will soon become a reality, allowing many previously uninsured Tennesseans to purchase quality health coverage.
Every state, including Tennessee, will have a new health insurance marketplace (also called an exchange) that will make it easier for residents to gain health coverage. Though these new state marketplaces may look different, all of them will help individuals and families find coverage that meets their specific needs. The tax credits will help people who are looking for coverage in their state’s marketplace better afford such coverage.
**For detailed county-by-county data, see the Full Report**
Key Findings
Numbers of People Eligible for the Premium Tax Credit
- Statewide, more than 575,000 Tennesseans will be eligible for these new premium tax credits in 2014.
- People with annual incomes between 200 and 400 percent of poverty (between $47,100 and $94,200 for a family of four in 2013) will constitute more than half (about 54 percent) of Tennesseans who will be eligible for premium tax credits.
Help for Working Families
- The vast majority of Tennesseans who will be eligible for premium tax credits— about 88 percent—will be in working families.
- Statewide, nearly 507,000 people, the majority of Tennesseans who will be eligible for premium tax credits, will be in families with a worker who is employed, either full- or part-time.
Help for All Ages
- Premium tax credits will be available to Tennesseans in all age groups, from hardworking Tennesseans who are supporting families to young people just starting their careers.
- Young adults are the likeliest age group to be eligible for premium tax credits, making up approximately 35 percent of all those who will be eligible.
Help for All Races and Ethnicities
- About three-quarters (about 76 percent) of the Tennesseans who will be eligible for premium tax credits will be white, non-Hispanics.
- Approximately 15 percent of the Tennesseans who will be eligible will be black, non- Hispanics.
- About 6 percent of the Tennesseans who will be eligible will be Hispanics.
- Approximately 4 percent of the Tennesseans who will be eligible will identify themselves as being American Indian, Aleut or Eskimo, Asian or Pacific Islander, or a member of more than one group.
