As Tennessee officials move forward with a plan to require able-bodied adults to work, volunteer or go to school in order to keep state-funded health insurance, a new study finds that 68,000 could lose that benefit entirely as a result.

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute researchers based their findings on what happened in Arkansas, which became the first state to impose a work requirement on Medicaid recipients in August.

TennCare officials disputed the findings, saying their estimates show that only 56,000 people would be subject to the requirements, meaning fewer than that would lose their coverage.

"The projections of members losing coverage in this report are clearly too high," said Kelly Gunderson, a spokeswoman. Gunderson said it was not possible to predict how many people may lose benefits.

The Georgetown study examined how requirements impacted Medicaid recipients in Arkansas, where more than 18,000 of the 60,000 individuals lost benefits in five months.

"There is little reason to expect that Tennessee will do better than Arkansas," the report concluded, noting that Tennessee's requirements would apply more broadly.

In Arkansas, all adults in a household with a child under 18 years old are exempt from work requirements. In Tennessee, just one parent in a home with a child under the age of 6 is exempt.

MORE:Tennessee Senate passes bill proposing work requirements for TennCare recipients

THE IMPACT:Caregiver, health care advocates fear impacts of TennCare work requirement proposal

TennCare officials said that many would be exempt from the new requirements, including people who are already subject to work requirements from other public assistance programs. And some TennCare enrollees may transition to other forms of insurance if their earnings from work increase, Gunderson said.

Tennessee's proposed work requirements were submitted to the federal government last month after receiving approval from state lawmakers. Once approved by federal officials, the new rules will take effect in 2020. Tennessee is one of 15 states to seek work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Backers of the work requirements call it a pathway to lift people out of poverty while still providing support. Enacted before Gov. Bill Lee was elected, the new governor also supports the measure.

“Gov. Lee believes in the dignity of work and continues to support work, education and volunteering requirements for those who are able and receiving benefits from the state," said Laine Arnold, the governor's spokeswoman.

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TennCare’s plan would require beneficiaries to work, perform community services or take classes, on average, for 20 hours each week in four out of every six months — or be suspended from the program.

People with disabilities, caregivers for people with disabilities or medical ailments, and a single parent in a home with children under the age of 6 would be exempt from the work rules.

TennCare pays the medical costs for children and adults who live in poverty, but adults covered by the plan must also meet other requirements that include being a parent, pregnant and or disabled.

Tennessee is one of 14 states that has not expanded its Medicaid program to include working people who earn more than poverty level wages.

"Rather than promote work, the proposed reporting requirements will likely worsen the economic prospects for Tennessee's most fragile families," the report said.

On Tuesday, Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown Center for Children and Families will speak on a panel about the proposed work requirements at the First Amendment Center.

"Caretakers in Crisis" event details:

When: Tuesday, February 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: First Amendment Center, 1207 18th Avenue South, #200

Panel: Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown Center for Children and Families; Sharon Roberson, president and CEO of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee; Matt Harris, economics professor of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee; and Loretta Alexander, health policy director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

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Reach Anita Wadhwani at awadhwani@tennessean.com; 615-259-8092 or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.