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Two Budget Proposals from Beebe

Governor Beebe introduced two separate budget proposals this month, depending on whether legislators choose to put off nearly $30 million in tax cuts for two years. The tax cuts, if implemented, would reduce taxes for manufacturers and many wealthy...

Wonky Word Wednesday: Food insecurity

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. As we prepare to stuff our faces with our favorite holiday dishes, let’s not forget those who struggle finding a meal to eat each day. Forty eight million people (or one out of six  Americans) suffer...

Insuring Arkansas’s Children

Because ARKids First is a vital link to health services for so many of our state’s children, we must very carefully consider any changes to coverage options. In Arkansas, 52 percent of children receive coverage through ARKids First (Arkansas’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health...

AACF statement on (lack of) pre-K funding

The Joint Budget Committee of the Arkansas General Assembly recently rejected an increase in state funding for the Arkansas Better Chance pre-K program for fiscal year 2016. This marks the eighth straight year without an increase, a cut once...

The pre-K clock is ticking

The last funding increase for pre-K in Arkansas kicked in on the first day of fiscal year 2008, which would have been July 1, 2007. For a program that’s proven to be such a powerful tool, that’s way too...

Supporting enrollment in Arkansas

Last year, more than 700 assisters were trained and licensed to help consumers enroll in coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace and Arkansas’s Private Option. The experience of enrollment assisters provides an important perspective for...

Connectors to Coverage

Beginning on October 1, 2013, more than 500,000 uninsured Arkansans had a new opportunity to access comprehensive and affordable health coverage through the Affordable Care Act and Arkansas’s Private Option. More than 44,000 people signed up for coverage through the Health...

Changes to private option could hurt families

The Private Option has helped over 211,000 adults gain access to affordable coverage. This bi-partisan measure to extend health care insurance to thousands of Arkansas allows eligible adults (19-64 years) to purchase private plans with Medicaid funds. The success...