Projections for enrollment in Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to cover low-income Tennesseans have been revised upward to 280,000 people in the first year.

Haslam's chief of staff, Mark Cate, said Wednesday that new number reflects an actual study and comparisons with Medicaid programs in other states. The original estimates for the Insure Tennessee plan had pegged the expected enrollment at 200,000 or below.

Cate says while the enrollment projections have gone up, the estimated cost per enrollee has gone down enough to keep cost expectations at their original level.

Cate and other Haslam administration officials presented details and answered questions about the plan to state lawmakers in advance of next week's special session to decide its fate.

Haslam wraps up a statewide tour to promote the plan on Thursday.