While there were a few bright spots, it was a tough year for racial equity and opportunity at the legislature. Lawmakers passed policies that will limit opportunities for many Arkansas families. They also failed to pass policies that would have given more Arkansans a chance to thrive and succeed in the future. These policies affect […]

ARKids First has been hugely successful in providing health coverage for kids in Arkansas, despite growing child poverty rates. While the number of children living in poverty has increased to almost 30 percent since 2008, the percentage of children without health coverage has remained very low. This news comes as lawmakers meet to discuss possible […]

Early childhood professionals often use the terms early childhood mental health and positive social and emotional development interchangeably. Social development involves skills like communicating needs, getting along with others and making friends. Emotional development involves skills like being able to be soothed when upset, recognizing feelings and expressing them appropriately, and beginning to understand that others have feelings too. When children experience healthy social and […]

This legislative session, like many others before it, had its ups and downs. The children and families of Arkansas won some, but suffered some major losses as well. The Private Option, Arkansas’s version of Medicaid expansion, will continue to provide health coverage for low-income Arkansans, at least through 2016. However, changes are likely on the horizon. Our state’s […]

In 2013, one out of four Arkansans did not have health insurance. Thousands of low-income Arkansans made too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to receive financial help in the health insurance Marketplace (through tax subsidies). Arkansas faced a looming Medicaid budget shortfall, all while more than half a million Arkansans had no health coverage. […]

Because ARKids First is a vital link to health services for so many of our state’s children, we must very carefully consider any changes to coverage options. In Arkansas, 52 percent of children receive coverage through ARKids First (Arkansas’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP). CHIP can be tailored to meet the needs of the state and provides coverage […]

Beginning on October 1, 2013, more than 500,000 uninsured Arkansans had a new opportunity to access comprehensive and affordable health coverage through the Affordable Care Act and Arkansas’s Private Option. More than 44,000 people signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace during the first open enrollment period from October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. As […]

The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) recently submitted waiver amendments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make several changes to the Private Option beginning February 1, 2015. As required by Act 257 of 2014, DHS must submit and seek approval from HHS to make the following changes: • Creation […]

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. Arkansas made gains in health coverage and education over the last year, but the child poverty rate went up to 29 percent. Those ups and downs are consistent with national trends, but what would it […]

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families recognizes the importance of adequate health care being available and accessible for all children and families. PLEASE SHARE this information with persons who may be eligible for Arkansas’s Private Option health insurance coverage. The Private Option is a new kind of affordable, private coverage for many Arkansans.