Some Tennessee parents now have access to monthly supplies of free diapers under the state's Medicaid program.
TennCare provides coverage for expectant mothers, seniors, and people with disabilities - including one in five Tennesseans, and half of all births and children in the state.
Allexa Gardner - a research fellow with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families - said children under age two enrolled in TennCare or Coverkids are eligible, and the new benefit covers four major diaper brands.
"You are now able to receive up to 100 diapers per month per child, without any prescription and at no cost to you," said Gardner. "Diapers can be obtained at the pharmacy counter at participating pharmacies, which are now listed on the TennCare website. Importantly, this will not count against a child or a mother's limit of five prescriptions a month."
Gardner emphasized that the need to provide information about the benefits in multiple languages to reach all eligible families. She added the diaper allowance is limited up to 200 diapers per 60 day period.
Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, said diaper accessibility for low-income families is a huge economic benefit that will also mean healthier kids.
But she added that right now, the new program has a few barriers, as only a limited number of locations are providing the free diapers.
"Huge counties - like Murray, Dixon, Sumner - have no pharmacies that are providing diapers," said Johnson. "Population areas, like Memphis and Nashville, there's only three pharmacists in all of the city that do this. Unfortunately, there's been more focus on the media than on the actual implementation and execution."
TennCare says more pharmacies will be added as the program rolls out. Johnson said her organization is reaching out to low-income families across the state to let them know about the diaper program.