In 2013, one out of four Arkansans did not have health insurance. Thousands of low-income Arkansans made too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to receive financial help in the health insurance Marketplace (through tax subsidies). Arkansas faced a looming Medicaid budget shortfall, all while more than half a million Arkansans had no health coverage. […]

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 Insurance Program, or CHIP). CHIP can be tailored to meet the needs of the state and provides 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 Insurance Marketplace during the first open enrollment period from October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. As […]

The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) recently submitted waiver amendments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make several changes to the Private Option beginning February 1, 2015. As required by Act 257 of 2014, DHS must submit and seek approval from HHS to make the following changes: • Creation […]

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. Arkansas made gains in health coverage and education over the last year, but the child poverty rate went up to 29 percent. Those ups and downs are consistent with national trends, but what would it […]

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families recognizes the importance of adequate health care being available and accessible for all children and families. PLEASE SHARE this information with persons who may be eligible for Arkansas’s Private Option health insurance coverage. The Private Option is a new kind of affordable, private coverage for many Arkansans.

ARKids First and Medicaid provided health coverage for even more children as poverty levels in Arkansas continued to rise while the state recovered from the recession. This affordable coverage ensured that Arkansas’s percentage of uninsured children continued to trend downward, helping families stay healthy and economically secure. Most Americans believe — incorrectly — that the […]

The 89th General Assembly faces a clear choice this year: deny coverage to more than 250,000 Arkansans who qualify for Medicaid services or allow all Arkansans access to coverage they deserve. Right now, the only way working Arkansans qualify for Medicaid is if they are very low-income parents or disabled workers. The only exception is […]

What is the Private Option? A new kind of affordable, private health coverage for up to 250,000 Arkansans who lack health insurance. A market-based, fiscally responsible model of covering low-income adults. A law passed by a bipartisan supermajority of Arkansas legislators in 2013. The best way to give Arkansans the economic security of health coverage […]

Arkansas is home to one of the largest populations of Marshallese individuals in the world — people who were born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands but moved here for employment and to have a better life. They are free to travel, work, attend school and live in the United States under a Compact […]