Twenty years ago today, on March 10, 1997, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee signed ARKids First into law. ARKids was Arkansas’s state-funded health insurance program, and bringing it to life was a monumental moment for kids and families in our...
It’s not just about coverage for adults. As Congress continues the debate about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and a replacement plan, a lot hangs in the balance for children, too. According to the Urban Institute, repealing the ACA will...
Last month, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vowed to make third-grade reading a top priority, building on the impressive work the state has already done to bring more children into early education programs. Now the federal push to scrap the...
One of the greatest achievements in the past two decades has been the increase in the number of American children who have health care coverage. We just celebrated the fact that our nation achieved a historic milestone with health...
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...
A report released today from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families celebrates historic declines in the number of uninsured children. Nationally, 95 percent of children had health coverage in 2015. Health coverage is a critical piece of...
Arkansas is moving forward with historic changes to the Medicaid program that will improve access to mental health and substance use treatment. For almost a decade, efforts have been underway to better address the mental health needs of children...
A new report shows that Arkansas continues to stand out amid other southern states with one of the lowest rates of uninsured people. According to U.S. Census data released today, only 9.5 percent of Arkansans were uninsured in 2015....
Yesterday’s failed Senate vote on the Medicaid appropriation was critical to keeping hundreds of thousands of Arkansans insured. Earlier this week, we wrote about the devastating impact to the state budget, if the Medicaid appropriation bill does not pass with Arkansas...
Potentially devastating budget cuts – now under consideration at the state legislature – would endanger children in foster care and halt the progress we were just starting to make to improve our child welfare system. We want to give...