Earlier today, a small minority of Arkansas lawmakers defied the will of the majority of Arkansans – and House of Representatives members – and thus missed an incredible opportunity to make affordable health coverage more accessible for their constituents. The Private Option bill that would allow the state to use Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance plans for low-income Arkansans failed in the House earlier today. Sixty-nine representatives did the right thing today and they should be applauded. However, the bill did not get the three-fourths majority necessary for passage.

The Private Option is a good deal for our economy, our local hospitals, and all of the state’s children and families. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families hopes some kind of solution or compromise can be reached in the coming days. AACF thanks all Representatives – from both sides of the aisle – who voted for the Private Option. Their leadership and their desire to do what’s best for all Arkansans led to a bipartisan solution that would have been of great benefit to the state.

Moving forward, the state of Arkansas will face some big questions. Without the Private Option, 160,000 Arkansans will now have no affordable option for health coverage. These are low-income folks who make “too much” money to qualify for Medicaid (over $4,000/year for an individual) and not enough to qualify for subsidies through the new health care exchanges.

AACF Executive Director Rich Huddleston says today’s vote will be difficult for some legislators to explain.

“We know from cost estimates and projections that the Private Option would actually save the state money and that the influx of federal dollars would be good for the economy,” Huddleston says. “But the real issue here is fairness. For those 160,000 folks who get left out because of politics at the state legislature, that’s a shame. Other states will go with some kind of extension of Medicaid. So a low-income, working mother in another state will now have options for affordable health care. A low-income, working woman in Arkansas won’t because of this vote.”

It remains unclear this afternoon about the options available. The bill will likely come up for another vote tomorrow. However, with only four days remaining in the 89^th General Assembly and several other pressing matters at hand, lawmakers may have missed their only chance to pass the Private Option. Without persuading at least six additional lawmakers to vote yes, there is little hope that affordable health coverage will become reality for all Arkansans.