The short version: Tennessee has not expanded Medicaid (KFF),
so if you earn too
much for TennCare but too little for marketplace subsidies, you can fall into
a gap. Know the options before you need them.
Tennessee's Medicaid program. Eligibility is narrow - children,
pregnant women, some parents/caretakers of minor children, and people who are
elderly or have disabilities (tn.gov/tenncare).
Tennessee has not expanded Medicaid to
able-bodied adults, so many working-age adults simply don't qualify
regardless of income. (This is the single most important thing newcomers
misunderstand.)
- Apply: tn.gov/tenncare or the local Family
Assistance office.
- Children's coverage is comparatively generous; if you have kids, apply.
Georgia residents use Georgia Pathways to Coverage and enroll through
Georgia Access, rather than TennCare. Program rules and eligibility
change, so check the current application and renewal requirements before
relying on coverage (Georgia Pathways,
Georgia Access via HealthCare.gov).
Health insurance bought through the federal marketplace at
healthcare.gov. Eligibility for subsidies
depends on income; premium tax credits can make plans very affordable.
- Enrollment windows: open enrollment runs Nov-Jan each year
(healthcare.gov).
Losing
your job or employer coverage (including COBRA) is a qualifying event
that opens a special enrollment period. Plain income drops alone don't
automatically qualify you - the community has hit this trap.
- Local help: the Health Department and several community orgs have
certified application counselors during open enrollment.
The most common route. Both hospital systems and most larger employers offer
plans. When comparing, ask what's in-network locally - both Erlanger and
CHI Memorial are usually covered, but check before you assume.
There are real options for uninsured people in Chattanooga. The most
important are Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) - nonprofit
clinics that get federal funding to see anyone on a sliding fee scale,
with no one turned away for inability to pay. Chattanooga-area FQHCs include
Cempa Community Care, the Erlanger Community Health Center system,
River Valley Health, and nearby Georgia FQHCs within a short drive.
Find every FQHC near you: use the federal
Health Center (FQHC) locator at
findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov -
enter any address and it lists every federally funded health center and
school-based clinic in the area.
¶ Self-pay and new-patient primary care
- Cempa Community Care: now accepting new patients at its main clinic,
1000 E. 3rd St., 3rd Floor, (423) 265-2273. Sliding-fee eligibility
requires a Statement of Income, supporting documents, and annual
recertification. Details
- Erlanger Community Health Center: accepting new patients at its
Southside, Dodson Avenue, and Premier Health locations; sliding-fee
discounts require proof of income and address. Program
Green pins: FQHC clinics (sliding scale). Gold pins: school-based clinics,
mobile units, and free/low-cost services. Click a pin for address and
directions (Google or Apple Maps).
The nonprofit FQHC (formerly Chattanooga CARES) for primary care, dental,
and behavioral health on a sliding scale - no one is turned away for
inability to pay. 1000 E. 3rd St., 3rd Floor, Southside. Web:
cempa.org. This is the network Erlanger's clinics are
being transferred to (see below).
Erlanger runs a federally funded community health center network that has
served Chattanooga for over 50 years. Locations (as of 2026):
| Location |
Address |
Notes |
| Dodson Avenue |
1200 Dodson Ave |
Full primary care plus dental (see below), pharmacy, WIC, behavioral health |
| Southside |
3800 Tennessee Ave, Ste 124 |
Primary care, pediatrics, women's health, lab/x-ray |
| Premier Health |
251 N Lyerly St, Ste 300 |
Primary care, OB, lab |
- Phone: (423) 778-2700 (main), (423) 778-2800 (Dodson), (423) 648-7770
(Premier).
- Web: erlanger.org/community-health-center
- Services: general adult care, pediatrics, women's health/OB, dental,
behavioral health, lab/x-ray, pharmacy, WIC, insurance counseling, and
diabetes/hypertension counseling. Same-day appointments often available.
Heads up (2026): Erlanger is transferring 4 of these health centers
to Cempa Community Care - Southside, Dodson Avenue, Premier Health, and
the Howard School-based clinic. The Feb 2026 announcement was a
non-binding letter of intent; the actual transfer needs HRSA approval and
optimistically completes in early 2027
(Chattanoogan,
Times Free Press).
Patients are told care should continue uninterrupted under Cempa.
Expect the names/branding to change as this completes.
The Dodson Avenue center includes a full dental clinic (1200 Dodson
Ave, Mon-Fri 8am-4pm) with general dentistry on a sliding scale - one of the
few FQHC-affiliated dental options in town. See
Finding a Dentist for the full low-cost dental list.
Beyond Cempa and Erlanger, several other federally funded centers serve the
Chattanooga area - including a few just across the state line in Georgia
(which many people here use):
| Location |
Address |
Operated by |
Notes |
| Homeless Health Care Center |
730 E 11th St |
Hamilton County |
Health center serving people experiencing homelessness; primary care + case management |
| River Valley Health (formerly Cherokee Health Systems) |
5600 Brainerd Rd, Ste A4 |
River Valley Health |
FQHC; primary care + behavioral health (no dental at this office - their dental is at East TN sites); part of the larger East TN FQHC network |
| Primary Healthcare Centers - Georgia |
Locations in Trenton, Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold, Tunnel Hill, LaFayette, and Summerville |
Primary Healthcare Centers |
FQHC; use the official location list for current addresses and hours |
| Tri-Med Family Care |
6120 Alabama Hwy, Ringgold GA · (706) 935-6442 |
Tri-Med Family Care, Inc. |
Separate FQHC; also runs a mobile unit (Tri-Med / North Georgia Community Health) |
| School-based clinics (SBHCs) |
Catoosa College & Career Academy and Tiger Creek Elementary |
Primary Healthcare Centers |
FQHC clinics inside area schools; confirm the current school site |
- Find more: the federal locator at
findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov lists
every FQHC and school-based site by address - this is the definitive
source and updates as clinics open/close.
- Georgia FQHCs offer an income- and family-size-based sliding-fee discount
and do not turn people away for inability to pay. Confirm your
residency and service-area eligibility with the center rather than
assuming a Georgia clinic will always accept a Tennessee address.
Immunizations, family planning, WIC, and school programs; many services are
low-cost or free. Clinics have consolidated: Sequoyah (Soddy-Daisy) saw its
last patients in June 2025, and Ooltewah went from 5 days/week to 2 by the
end of 2025, then closed its building May 1, 2026 (becoming a senior
center; a mobile unit now serves the site Mon/Fri 9am-3pm)
(Local 3).
Current sites are 3rd Street (main), Birchwood, the Homeless Healthcare
Center, and the Ooltewah mobile unit — check
health.hamiltontn.org for the current list.
Call (423) 209-8000 for records.
- Hamilton County TBCSP: free breast and cervical screening and limited
diagnostic services for eligible uninsured/underinsured Tennessee women.
Call (423) 209-8009 or (423) 209-8350. Program
- MaryEllen Locher Breast Center: year-round financial assistance for
eligible uninsured/underinsured women, including diagnostic follow-up when
needed. Call (423) 495-4040 to confirm eligibility and current funding.
Center
- Chattanooga Public Library (downtown) - has periodically hosted
free walk-in nurse hours (no insurance, no card needed). Ask the
downtown branch - 1001 Broad St, (423) 643-7700
(chattlibrary.org).
- A Step Ahead - free birth control (including IUDs and implants)
with no cost and no insurance needed, for anyone who lives or goes to
school in the 18-county service area around Chattanooga. Web:
astepaheadchattanooga.org
- Erlanger / Memorial charity care - both systems have financial
assistance programs for large bills. Ask the hospital's billing office;
you often must apply within a window after care.
- Chattanooga State Dental Hygiene Clinic - cheap cleanings (see
Finding a Dentist).
- Sliding fee scale based on income - bring proof of income and you pay
based on what you make.
- No one is turned away for being uninsured.
- Accepts TennCare, Medicare, and most insurance - if you have coverage,
FQHCs still see you.
- FQHCs are required to offer after-hours care and often have on-site
pharmacy, labs, and X-ray so you don't have to run across town.
- Find one by address anytime at
findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov - the
official federal locator for all FQHCs and school-based health centers.
Because TN didn't expand Medicaid, a single adult making slightly over
TennCare's limit but under the ACA subsidy line can face expensive plans or
none at all. The community's practical answers:
- Rely on FQHCs (Cempa, Erlanger Community Health Center) for primary
care on a sliding scale - they exist exactly for this gap.
- Use urgent care for acute needs instead of the ER (ERs are legally
required to stabilize you, but the bill can be brutal - see charity care).
- Use the library nurse and Health Department clinics for
prevention, shots, and testing.
- Check if a part-time job at a hospital or large employer with
insurance is the cheaper "plan" - people do mention this as a real
workaround.
- GoodRx or Cost Plus Drugs for cash prices; people regularly save
a lot by price-shopping generics.
- EPB and some employers offer pharmacy discounts as a perk.
- Community Pharmacy Services - full-service on-site pharmacy at Cempa
Community Care, 1000 E 3rd St; staff help navigate insurance and
coordinate financial assistance to reduce medication costs. (423) 541-9450.
- CoverRx - state prescription drug program for ages 18–64 at/below 138%
of poverty with no pharmacy coverage (or insured without a pharmacy
benefit); (844) 644-5443
(tn.gov/tenncare/coverrx).
- Tri-Med Family Care pharmacy (6120 Alabama Hwy, Ringgold GA) - on-site
pharmacy in the federal 340B drug discount program.
- Good Neighbors (Prescription Expense Assistance), 737 E 10th St,
(423) 266-1772 - one-time emergency payment help. Caller must be cleared
by 211 first; helps on bills in the caller's name, once a year; call
between 9am-1pm M-F and be there before noon.
- Kidney Foundation of Greater Chattanooga - 931 McCallie Ave,
(423) 265-4397 (kidneyfoundation.com) -
assists dialysis & kidney transplant patients with essential renal
medications, plus dialysis transportation, utilities, rent, and food help.
- Ooltewah United Methodist Church - 6131 Relocation Way,
(423) 238-9216 (ooltewahumc.com) - utility,
medication/prescription, and car-repair
assistance up to 3x/year (no rent/mortgage/motel help).
- The Samaritan Center - 9231 Lee Hwy, Ooltewah, (423) 238-7777
(thesamaritancenter.net) -
emergency financial assistance for utilities, rent, or life-sustaining
medication; once per 13 months. Call to schedule with a case manager.
- The Speech & Hearing Center - 2212 Encompass Dr, Ste 148,
(423) 622-6900 (speechhearing.com) - the
Hear Chattanooga program
provides hearing aids for $200/less to those who can't afford them (ask
about it at your hearing evaluation; applications reviewed quarterly).
Benefits and clinic hours change every open-enrollment season - verify
eligibility before relying on any one option.
Last updated: September 2026.