The number of uninsured Arkansas children has dipped from 22 percent to just 6 percent since ARKids First was created in 1997, according to a report released Wednesday.
Arkansas ranked fourth in the country at enrolling eligible children in programs such as ARKids First and Medicaid in 2011, according to an annual report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. This is despite the fact that 27 percent of Arkansas children live in poverty compared with 20 percent nationally, according to a study by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
The study found that states with the lowest level of uninsured children are Massachusetts (2 percent), Vermont (2 percent) and Connecticut (3 percent). Nevada was found to have the highest level of uninsured children at 16 percent.
Data included in the report show that 92.5 percent of Arkansas children eligible for the program are now enrolled in ARKids First, which is designed for families with household incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid coverage, but too low to afford insurance coverage.
“I think this is an unequivocal success for the state,” said Arkansas Surgeon General Joe Thompson. “In 15 years we’ve dropped the portion of uninsured children dramatically … and there’s no question that that has given parents more security about the health of their kids and less anxiety about being able to care for them.”
But Anna Strong, health-policy director for Arkansas Advocates, said the 6 percent of Arkansans under 18 who are left without insurance still amounts to 46,000. The report said many of these children are from households with income levels too high to qualify for ARKids First, but perhaps too low for the family to afford private coverage.
“I think the report does reflect the need to heighten focus on low-income individuals or individuals who have not been successfully recruited … so that we can make sure that all children have the preventative services and the health-promotion opportunities that they deserve,” Thompson said.
The number of uninsured children across all incomes decreased in Arkansas by 32 percent - from 68,000 to 46,000 - since 2008, according to the study.
Counties with the highest rates of uninsured children include those in northwestern and central Arkansas, with more than a third of those living in Pulaski, Washington, Benton and Sebastian counties.
“The report does highlight some areas where we could make more progress and where we could do a little better job, but I think we’ve done an incredible job overall,” Strong said.
Strong said continuing progress in the state hinges on helping the parents obtain coverage first.
In the report, Arkansas Advocates cites research suggesting that “when parents have health coverage, children are more likely to have coverage and get the care they need,” which Thompson related to the so-called private option Medicaid measure that recently passed the Arkansas Legislature.
“I think the decisions over the past few weeks in our Legislature to have parents have options for coverage will increase the amount of kids who are able to be covered,” Thompson said.
ARKids First is a state program that was created and signed into law in 1997 by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Under the program, a family’s collective income can be up to double the poverty level without having to forfeit Medicaid coverage for the children. In 2012, a family of four could make as much as $46,100 and still be covered under the program.
In 2009, the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation to extend coverage under ARKids First to families up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level; however, that measure has not been implemented because of a lack of funding.
Huckabee was not available for comment Wednesday.
“Our big goal is to cover all kids and families,” Strong said. “We would love to see every family in Arkansas have health coverage. … I think we have the potential to really make some strides in 2014 and build on that going forward. I think Arkansas has taken a strong role in saying, ‘We’re going to do what’s best for our state in covering folks.’”
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 05/02/2013