NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NEWSnet/AP) — Tennessee will become the first state to offer free diapers to families enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, state officials have confirmed.
Similarly, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved extending a pilot program in Delaware that provides free diapers and wipes to postpartum parents for the first three months after giving birth.
According to TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, families will be able to receive up to 100 diapers per month for children under age 2, starting in August, from TennCare pharmacies.
The request stemmed from an initiative backed by Gov. Bill Lee in 2023 designed to support families, for which lawmakers approved allocating $30 million in TennCare funding for the free diapers.
In Delaware, people will be allowed to receive up to 80 diapers and one pack of baby wipes per week during the first 12 weeks postpartum. CMS agreed the state may use Medicaid funding to extend the program for another five years.
Health advocates say families are struggling to afford enough diapers for their children, putting babies at risk of infection and rashes, and forcing parents to miss work if they can’t afford enough diapers required at child care centers.
On average, newborn babies can require eight to 10 diapers per day, or 300 each month. Toddlers can use around 150 diapers monthly.
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