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 […]

This November, Arkansas voters will elect candidates to important public offices, including seats in the U.S. Congress and the Arkansas General Assembly. The winners of these elections will be in a unique position to make public policy that will impact the future well-being and success of Arkansas’s children and families. Making children our top priority […]

In our latest brief, health care policy fellow Bruno Showers analyzes proposed changes to Arkansas Works and the troublesome impact they will have on Arkansans, our state budget, and our health care system. Plus, we offer some suggestions to ensure the roll-out of these changes causes minimum health coverage disruptions. Here’s what you really need […]

Health coverage is one of the most important resources that children need to thrive and grow into healthy adults. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ensure that nearly half of Arkansas children — over 400,000 — have access to health care coverage. The important investments made in children’s coverage, at both the federal […]

The bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which turns 20 this year, provides health insurance to kids from low- and moderate-income families who are not eligible for Medicaid. Like Medicaid, it is jointly funded by federal and state governments. Medicaid and CHIP combined have helped lower the uninsured rate for Arkansas children to a historic […]

The health care system has improved dramatically over the past 20 years in Arkansas. Today, 95 percent of children have health coverage, and we’ve lessened the coverage gap resulting from differences in household income. Also, the state has made strides in recent years to reward the provision of high-quality preventive care through the patient-centered medical […]

The U.S. Senate’s health care bill would be devastating to rural Arkansas – not just to the health of its citizens but to its economy, as well. Research on the House-passed Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement showed that it could result in 42 percent of Arkansas Medicaid enrollees younger than 65 being dropped from coverage. […]