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. That year, Arkansas made history by passing bipartisan legislation called the Health Care Independence Act, creating the Private Option. It’s an innovative model for expanding coverage that uses Medicaid dollars to cover the costs of private insurance plans.