AACF News Feed

Number of uninsured children on the decline

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:14:51 -0500

The number of uninsured children in Arkansas has declined over the past year, now totaling only six percent. Thanks to ARKids First and Medicaid, the percentage of children without health insurance has dropped from 22 percent to just six percent over the past 16 years.

According to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF), Arkansas ranks fourth in the nation at enrolling eligible children in ARKids First and Medicaid with 92.5 percent of eligible kids enrolled. Thanks to strong outreach, enrollment simplifications, and policy changes, the state has fewer uninsured children than last year.

However, that six percent uninsured rate translates to 46,000 children. The report, "Crossing the Finish Line 2012: Nearing the home stretch for covering kids and parents in Arkansas," says some groups are disproportionately uninsured, including: children in west, northwest, and central AR; Hispanic and Marshallese children; and adolescents age 11-18.

Anna Strong, AACF health policy director, says the state is moving closer and closer toward AACF's goal of making sure all children have access to quality health coverage.

WE DID IT!

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:44:29 -0500

Arkansas senators joined their counterparts in the House of Representatives and decided to make health coverage affordable for more Arkansas citizens. The "Private Option" will allow the state to use Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance plans for low-income Arkansans, thus providing an affordable health coverage option to 250,000 people. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families would like to publicly thank our lawmakers for voting for this very important measure.

As we have said many times, this option is a good deal for our economy, our local hospitals, and all of the state's children and families. Wednesday's vote was an important victory for hard-working, low-income folks in Arkansas who would otherwise have no other option for affordable health coverage. We are excited about this opportunity to make sure more Arkansans are healthy, and we are very happy that our lawmakers were able to come together and do the right thing for the people of this state.

Now, the work of implementation begins. AACF will continue to provide accurate and timely information to the public and to lawmakers as the Private Option goes from an idea to a reality. We will also be paying very close attention to the implementation process. We want to make sure that as we move toward more affordable health coverage for all Arkansans, we do it in a way that is in the best interest of this state's children and families.

Register for Post-Legislative Conferences in Little Rock and Bentonville

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:45:33 -0500

Has the 2013 legislative session left you wondering "What the heck just happened at the Capitol this year?" Are you thinking: What's coming next? What does all of it mean? What went wrong? What went right? Our AACF Post Legislative Conferences will answer these and other questions.

AACF will host these conferences in Bentonville and Little Rock on May 14 and 16, respectively.

Bentonville

Join colleagues from health, child welfare, juvenile justice and education fields to learn more about the outcomes of the session. Panels will include policy experts to break down what went right and what didn't, as well as a chance for a Q and A session with Northwest Arkansas lawmakers.

This event wouldn't be possible without our co-hosts, the National Child Protection Center at Northwest Arkansas Community College.

May 14, 2013
1-3:30 p.m.
White Auditorium, Burns Hall
Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville
Registration is free (but be sure to sign up so we get a good count).

Little Rock

Our Little Rock conference will feature a plenary session, special topic breakout session, and luncheon speakers (including Hendrix professor, Arkansas Times columnist, and AACF board member Jay Barth). Experts who understand the health, education, tax, child welfare, juvenile justice, and economic policies that were enacted during the session will explain what the new laws intend to do and how it might affect you and the people you care most about.

Registration cost includes a box lunch and a publication summarizing the legislation that has impacted the children and families of Arkansas. Plus you'll get to hang out with a lot of great child advocates.

Limited scholarships are available for grassroots advocates, students, and under-paid activists.

Contact Paul Kelly at 501-371-9678 or pkelly@aradvocates.org

May 16, 2013
9 a.m-1:30 p.m.
St. John's Conference Center
2500 North Tyler Street, Little Rock
Registration is $10 for Kids Count Coalition members and $25 for non-members.

Juvenile Justice in Arkansas: Building on Success

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:08:38 -0500

Juvenile Justice in Arkansas: Building on Success describes how far Arkansas has come in reforming the juvenile justice system and lays out a plan for moving forward. The state's laws, regulations, and practices must align with its commitment to a system of juvenile justice that will effectively serve youth for the long term. A thoughtful, engaged, and community-driven approach can reduce the incarceration of low- and moderate-risk youth. Reinvesting state savings in proven-effective, community-based alternatives is the most promising way to ensure that our continued successes builds on what we've accomplished thus far.

Read the full report here.

Benefits of HB 1585 go mostly to wealthy

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:12:16 -0500

According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), House Bill 1585 would target personal income tax relief to Arkansas taxpayers who make over $155,000 per year (the top five percent of earners). This group would receive one-half (50 percent) of the total benefits resulting from the tax cut. That's compared to those who make $29,000 or less per year, who would get nothing.

The richest one percent of Arkansans, those with total incomes of $346,000 or more, would see an average tax cut of $1,275 and would receive over one-fourth (26 percent) of the total benefits of the proposed cut. The next highest four percent, those with incomes between $155,000 and $346,000, would see an average tax cut of $301 and would receive 24 percent of the total benefits.

The bill doesn't offer many benefits to middle-income Arkansas families. The middle 20 percent of Arkansas taxpayers (those making between $29,900, and $49,000 a year) would see an average tax cut of only $7 - just three percent of the total benefits from the tax cut. The bottom 40 percent of Arkansas taxpayers, those who make less than $29,000, would see no tax cut (on average) and their share of the bill's benefits would be zero.

Read more about what kind of an impact HB 1585 will have here.

Youth incarceration up 20 percent since 1997

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:13:41 -0600

The number of Arkansas youth locked up in correctional facilities went up 20 percent from 1997 to 2010, bucking a national trend, according to a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The number of young people in correctional facilities dropped more than 40 percent nationally over the same period of time with no measurable decrease in public safety.

The report, Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States, says Arkansas is one of only five states - along with Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota, and West Virginia - that saw an increase in youth confinement.

Most youthful offenders do not pose a serious threat to public safety and do not need to be confined. Using secure confinement to lock up youth who do not pose a serious threat is a waste of taxpayers' money and diminishes the likelihood of rehabilitation and a brighter future for young offenders. The state spends $29.5 million annually for confining youth committed to the custody of the Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services (DHS DYS). The recidivism rate for kids in Arkansas's secure juvenile facilities is 46.5 percent.

Read more about the report, and AACF's efforts to find solutions to this critical issue here.

Industries, low-income Arkansas workers to benefit from extending Medicaid

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:25:21 -0600

More than 150,000 Arkansans work every day, earn less than $32,000 per year, and do not have health insurance. These workers qualify for Medicaid under new federal guidelines set to take effect in January. The last remaining hurdle is approval by the 89^th General Assembly.

"The state has an incredible opportunity to provide health care coverage to more than 150,000 working Arkansans," says Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF). "With so few affordable options available to low-income families, the state can ease the burden on families and businesses by allowing these workers to enroll in Medicaid."

An analysis of the most recent census numbers, conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for AACF, shows how broadly the problem of uninsured working adults stretches in Arkansas. Restaurant and food service employees top the list of workers without health insurance. Almost 60 percent of those workers go without health insurance.

"People that work hard for a living should not be forced to live without health insurance," says Brett Kincaid, outreach director for AACF. "Allowing these workers to enroll in Medicaid is the right thing to do. The legislature needs to provide some peace of mind to the more than 150,000 Arkansans that work hard, play by the rules, but view going to the doctor as a luxury in life."

Copayments and cost-sharing reduce access to health care for low-income families

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:36:42 -0600

Cost-sharing and copayments reduce access to health care for low-income families who already struggle to make ends meet. In the debate to extend Medicaid to 250,000 adults, the idea of using some form of cost-sharing or copayment system has come up again and again. The federal government allows considerable state flexibility with implementing cost-sharing. However, a new report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) says copayments can create barriers to access to care.

The report, "The Facts on Medicaid Copayments: Considerations for Arkansas," says copayments can also harm health care providers. Those providers lose out on income when Medicaid enrollees can't afford to pay their co-pays.

Anna Strong, health policy director at AACF, says incentivizing health care providers and patients to use cost-effective, preventive care can help improve outcomes and save money.

"There are better ways to lower costs while giving patients a stake in their health care," Strong says. "For example, structuring copays to encourage prevention and discourage unnecessary care can reduce costs and improve outcomes. We think those efforts will be more rewarding for Arkansans than imposing across-the-board copays that folks struggle to afford. People need access to health services, and providers should get paid for those services too."

Arkansas industries, low-income workers to benefit from extending Medicaid

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:23:42 -0600

Black students more likely to be punished in Arkansas schools

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:20:11 -0600

Black students in Arkansas schools are more likely to be suspended and receive corporal punishment than their white counterparts, according to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF). In 2012 black students were given out-of-school suspension more than five times as often as white students, in-school-suspension almost three times as often, and corporal punishment almost twice as often.

Arkansas ranks 15th in the nation in the use of out-of-school suspension for all students, and 13th in the gap between black and white students in out-of-school suspensions. When students are not in school, they miss out on educational opportunities. School disciplinary policies that disproportionately keep students of color out of school reduce their opportunities to learn and increase gaps in educational achievement. According to the report, "Keeping Kids in Class: Fixing Racial Disparities in School Discipline," Arkansas schools rely far too often on disciplinary approaches that keep too many of our students out of school, thus limiting their opportunity to learn.