by John Cook, Ph.D., M.A.Ed., Research Scientist and Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch; Richard Sheward, MPP, Deputy Director of Innovative Partnerships, Children’s HealthWatch; Bruno Showers, Senior Policy Analyst, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; and Eduardo Ochoa, Jr., MD, Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and Children’s HealthWatch conducted a Health Impact Assessment to estimate […]

Our annual Finish Line report looks at the status of health care coverage for Arkansas’s children and families. The report examines changes over the years and recommends actions to get Arkansas to The Finish Line: 100 percent coverage of Arkansas’s kids. Alarmingly, the data show a reversal in the trend of increasing coverage of children […]

Thousands of Arkansans who aren’t required to work to be eligible for Medicaid are losing their coverage because they failed to report or report adequately their exemption.

Arkansas has been in the national news a lot this year for a major change to our health care system. While the disenrollment of nearly 17,000 Arkansas Works beneficiaries is newsworthy, there is another major change underway that’s not received much media attention or public scrutiny. Last year, Arkansas lawmakers passed Act 775, which creates […]

Nearly 8,500 Arkansans lose health care coverage, with more losses expected each month A new brief from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families highlights that few people got new jobs, while many lost health insurance, as a result of the Arkansas Works work-reporting requirement. Each month the state releases a data report that tracks the […]

In June 2018, Arkansas became the first state to officially implement a requirement to work in a Medicaid expansion program – known here in Arkansas as Arkansas Works. Some Arkansas Works enrollees began reporting work activities or exemptions in June. By the end of the year, all Arkansas Works enrollees ages 30 to 49 will be […]

Across the board, our black men and boys encounter significant barriers. They face a higher rate of infant mortality, child poverty, and incarceration than their white peers. They also have lower high school graduation rates and family income levels. These outcomes are a result of decades of policy decisions that negatively impacted black Arkansans. This […]

The foundation for health and wealth starts at birth and influences success at every stage of life. Learn more in our latest infographic or in its parent publication “Health and Wealth in Arkansas.”

Poverty has long been known to impact health outcomes. People with greater wealth tend to live longer. They also live in safer homes and cleaner neighborhoods. They have access to healthier foods and better health care. Generally, they can avoid many of the health risks associated with poverty, like dangerous jobs and toxic stress. This […]

The annual Finish Line report provides a look at the status of health coverage for Arkansas children and their families. The report unveils key data on the progress we’ve made over the years and recommends additional solutions to ensure every child in Arkansas has a healthy start. This past year marked a significant milestone in children’s health […]