Medicaid is the largest insurer in the United States, and in 2025, around 48% of the program’s enrollees were children. More than 409,000 children in Arkansas are enrolled in Medicaid (known as ARKids First), and thousands of those children...
Every three months, Arkansas publishes a report tracking what happens to women after pregnancy Medicaid ends. Every three months, we hope to see any signs that the state’s transition numbers are improving. Instead, each report tells the same story:...
Despite progress made, Arkansas remains 49th in the country for births to teens, 45th for Family and Community Domain According to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Arkansas’s teen birth rate continues to decline, but we still lag behind...
Arkansas Falls to 48th in Child Health in the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book paints a concerning picture of children’s health in Arkansas. This year, Arkansas ranked 48th among states in the health...
For more than 35 years, the KIDS COUNT Data Book has ranked states on child well-being overall and in four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. In 2026, these rankings remain an important tool. However, starting...
New Scoring Index from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to Increase Accountability by Showing How Arkansas’s Policies and Investment Affect Children’s Daily Lives Sharp increases in the children’s uninsured rate and the number of young children not in school...
A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families takes a closer look at who will be affected by Medicaid work reporting requirements. The findings raise concerns for families in Arkansas, where Medicaid plays a major...
Over the past several months, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has traveled across the state, talking with Arkansans about their experiences with being insured through Medicaid. In nine focus groups spanning from Northwest to South Arkansas, we heard...
It won’t come as a surprise that I’m talking about postpartum Medicaid coverage again. For years now, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has been at the forefront of the conversation about the need to extend postpartum coverage for...
In the whirlwind of health news in the past several months between the passage of H.R. 1 (AKA the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) and the public debate about premium tax credit enhancements and marketplace coverage, you may have heard...