Just 38 percent of eligible Arkansas children are getting the regular, comprehensive doctor check-ups they need to stay healthy and avoid long-term problems, according to research by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. The federal standard is 80 percent of children eligible for Medicaid. “Arkansas children are getting many more health services than in previous […]

The Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program is a federal Medicaid requirement that ensures low-income children receive comprehensive preventive care. It is designed to identify and treat physical or mental health problems that could interfere with child growth or development. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) set 80 percent as the […]

Children covered by Medicaid in Arkansas are not receiving the level of preventive care they need to diagnose potential health problems. The Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program is a Medicaid requirement that ensures low-income children covered by Medicaid receive comprehensive preventive care. This helps identify and treat physical or mental health problems […]

Addressing student health in schools increases academic performance and health of children, report shows. SPRINGDALE – A growing movement to address the health needs of students on school campuses has the potential to improve the health and educational ability of more Arkansas children, according to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. […]

The Arkansas Finish Line Coalition was pleased to see Senate Bill 65 signed by Gov. Mike Beebe Wednesday. It will ensure as many as 20,000 children eligible for ARKids First health insurance aren’t pushed out of coverage because of paper work errors. The “Red Tape” bill, sponsored by Senator Jimmy Jeffress and championed in the […]

Health programs promised money through a 2009 increase in the tobacco tax haven’t seen a penny, and dozens of others have been under budgeted in the last two fiscal years, according to an analysis by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. An expansion of the state’s child health insurance program and an electronic health records […]

In 2008, the national Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) initiative was launched in Arkansas with support from the Open Society Foundation and with local support from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Arkansas Community Foundation. The goal of the initiative was to mobilize public support for expanding addiction treatment by increasing public funding, broadening insurance […]

A new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) finds that a startling number of children in the state who are eligible for ARKids First are either unenrolled or are being dropped from the program because of enrollment barriers and red tape. The report, Crossing the Finish Line: Moving Toward Covering All Kids, […]

After decades of attempts and more than a year of debate in the current Congress, the final health reform package passed both chambers and has been signed by President Obama last week.  Details on the potential impacts of the original Senate bill and companion “fixes” bill continue to emerge, but child advocates should rest assured […]

Health reform continues to progress through the House and Senate. On Saturday, November 7, the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009 bill by 220 votes. On the Senate side, lawmakers approved the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, early on December 24, 2009 by 60 votes. AACF thanks […]