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Arkansas Advocate

23 stories

State Policy·AR·3d ago

Sanders' Medicaid Work Requirements Ad Sparks Bipartisan Backlash

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a campaign ad depicting a Medicaid recipient playing video games and eating junk food instead of working, aimed at promoting the state's upcoming Medicaid work requirements. The ad drew criticism from both the NAACP, which called it stigmatizing and racially coded, and from some right-wing commentators who objected on different grounds. Arkansas's work requirements are set to take effect soon, requiring certain beneficiaries to document employment or qualifying activities to maintain coverage. The controversy highlights how politically charged messaging around Medicaid work requirements has become as states move to implement them.

State Policy·AR·4d ago

Arkansas Governor Candidates Split on Medicaid Expansion, Postpartum Coverage

Arkansas's three gubernatorial candidates, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Democratic state Sen. Fred Love, and Libertarian Colt Shelby, offered differing views on the state's Medicaid expansion program ahead of the 2026 election. Sanders said conversations are underway on "the best path forward" after the Trump administration rejected the state's renewal request this summer because the program doesn't meet a new federal cost-neutrality provision; Arkansas has since requested a two-year extension. Love called for increased Medicaid enrollment and investment, citing rural hospital closures tied to low reimbursement rates, while Shelby said he hopes the extension request is granted and supports extending postpartum coverage to 12 months, calling it a "no-brainer." Arkansas remains the only state limiting postpartum Medicaid coverage to 60 days; Sanders opposes extending it, citing other insurance options for low-income residents.

State Policy·AR·9d ago

Arkansas Awards $54.6M in Second Rural Health Transformation Program Round

Arkansas awarded $54.6 million to dozens of recipients in the second funding round of a federal rural healthcare program, state officials announced Thursday. The Rural Health Transformation Program, established through the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, provides $50 billion to states over five years for projects supporting rural healthcare infrastructure and services. The awards support facility improvements, workforce recruitment, telehealth expansion, and care coordination initiatives across rural communities. For Medicaid managed care plans and providers operating in rural Arkansas counties, these investments may strengthen network capacity and access in historically underserved areas where network adequacy has been challenging.

State Policy·AR·9d ago

Arkansas Launches Outreach Campaign for Medicaid Work Requirements Starting January

Arkansas Department of Human Services released an outreach toolkit Thursday including flyers, posters, text messages, and videos to inform Medicaid expansion enrollees about work requirements taking effect in January. The requirements will apply to certain expansion population members. Affected enrollees will need to meet work, education, or qualifying activity thresholds to maintain coverage. The campaign reflects Arkansas's move to implement community engagement requirements following federal approval.

State Policy·AR·10d ago

Arkansas Child Uninsured Rate Reaches Decade High at 7.7 Percent

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families reports that 57,000 Arkansas children — 7.7% of the state's child population — were uninsured in 2024, an increase of 7,000 from the previous year and the highest level in a decade. Hispanic children face the highest uninsured rate at nearly 14%, and foreign-born children are more than seven times more likely to be uninsured than U.S.-born children. The report attributes rising uninsurance to Medicaid disenrollment following pandemic-era continuous enrollment protections and warns that federal Medicaid spending cuts under H.R. 1 will create additional instability. Arkansas' Medicaid expansion program, covering more than 200,000 low-income adults, faces an uncertain future after the Trump administration denied the state's renewal request.

State Policy·AR·13d ago

Arkansas Schedules January Special Election for Senate District 18 Following Dismang Resignation

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders set a January 5, 2027 special election to fill the Senate District 18 seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang, who resigned this week to become vice president of external affairs for Arkansas Electric Cooperatives. A special primary will coincide with the November 3 general election. Dismang, who served as an architect of Arkansas' Medicaid expansion, leaves Republicans with a 27-6 majority in the state Senate. Candidates have until noon September 24 to file for the vacancy in the district covering White County and parts of Faulkner and Cleburne counties.

State Policy·AR·13d ago

Arkansas Medicaid Spending Rose $400M in Fiscal 2026, Finance Secretary Tells Lawmakers

Arkansas Medicaid spending increased $400 million between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 compared to the prior year, according to Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson's testimony to state legislators on September 18, 2026. The increase aligned with the Department of Human Services' fiscal 2026 operating plan. Hudson urged lawmakers to maintain full Medicaid funding going forward. The spending increase reflects rising enrollment, utilization, or rate pressures in the Arkansas Medicaid program.

State Policy·AR·18d ago

Arkansas Sen. Jonathan Dismang Resigns After Two Decades, Medicaid Expansion Architect

Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang resigned from the Arkansas Senate on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, to join Arkansas Electric Cooperatives. Dismang served nearly 20 years in the legislature, including two terms as Senate president pro tempore, and was a co-architect of Arkansas' private option Medicaid expansion model. His departure removes a key Republican voice who helped design and defend the state's Medicaid expansion approach. The resignation creates a vacancy in legislative leadership with potential implications for Medicaid policy continuity in Arkansas.

State Policy·AR·18d ago

Arkansas Expands Medicaid Waiver Services to Children on Disability Waitlist

Arkansas will provide supportive living services to over 2,400 children with disabilities currently on the waitlist for the Community and Employment Services Medicaid waiver, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced September 15, 2026. The state's four PASSE managed care plans must begin offering in-home care services to waitlist families by January 2027 at the latest, at an estimated cost of $17 million. The change responds to sustained public advocacy from families whose children receive coverage through Arkansas's PASSE managed care program but lack access to supportive living services available to waiver enrollees. Arkansas will incorporate the expansion into its federal waiver renewal request next year.

State Policy·AR·33d ago

Arkansas Expands Maternal Life360 Home Visiting Program to Northwest Arkansas

Arkansas expanded its Maternal Life360 program to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas on August 31, 2026, providing home visits for high-risk Medicaid and expansion enrollees through a child's second birthday. The program, operated through Family Network, offers pregnancy education, postpartum support, and resource navigation in English, Spanish, and Marshallese. Mercy Northwest Arkansas becomes the fourth active site; the state plans further expansion to address Arkansas's high maternal and infant mortality rates.

State Policy·AR·34d ago

March of Dimes: Half of Arkansas Counties Lack Maternity Care Access

A March of Dimes report found that 78,000 Arkansas women of reproductive age lived in maternity care deserts in 2024, with 33 of 75 counties lacking hospitals with delivery services or obstetric physicians. Nearly 5,000 babies were born to residents of those counties. Arkansas has not adopted the federal option to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, despite roughly half of state births being Medicaid-covered. The report comes amid uncertainty over Arkansas' ARHOME Medicaid expansion, which the Trump administration has declined to renew, and federal rural Medicaid cuts of $15.5 billion annually that advocates warn could worsen hospital and maternity unit closures.

Legal·AR·34d ago

Seventh Circuit Upholds Arkansas PBM Dispensing Fee Rule Against ERISA Preemption Challenge

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Arkansas may enforce its 2024 regulation requiring pharmacy benefit managers to include dispensing fees in pharmacy reimbursements, rejecting a challenge that federal ERISA law preempts the state rule. The regulation authorizes Arkansas to impose additional fees when the state insurance commissioner determines current reimbursements are not fair and reasonable, and mandates health plans report data on pharmacy reimbursement relative to Medicaid pricing. The ruling is effective immediately. The decision matters for Medicaid managed care organizations and their PBM vendors operating in Arkansas, as it affirms state authority to set minimum pharmacy reimbursement standards including dispensing fees and requires plans to report pharmacy payment data benchmarked against Medicaid rates.

State Policy·AR·34d ago

Arkansas Disability Waiver Waitlist Reaches 8,233 as Families Report Coverage Gaps Under PASSE

Arkansas has 8,233 people waiting for the Community and Employment Services Medicaid waiver, which covers home modifications and supportive living services for Arkansans with disabilities. Families report that the state's PASSE managed care program, launched in 2018 and serving 46,564 Arkansans with complex disabilities, does not cover equipment previously available, such as ceiling lifts for transferring wheelchair users. Disability advocates say managed care's focus on low-cost preventative care does not align with the needs of people with complex disabilities. The article also references unspecified federal policy changes affecting home- and community-based services requirements, though details are not provided in the excerpt.

State Policy·AR·41d ago

Arkansas Medicaid to Cover Doula Services Starting September 1

Arkansas Medicaid will begin covering doula services on September 1, 2026, following Legislative Council approval of implementing rules on August 21. The coverage stems from 2025 state legislation requiring Medicaid reimbursement for doula care. Low-income expectant parents enrolled in Arkansas Medicaid will be eligible for covered doula services. This expands the state's maternal health benefit package and aligns Arkansas with a growing number of states using Medicaid to improve birth outcomes and address maternal mortality disparities.

State Policy·AR·44d ago

Arkansas Providers Urge CMS to Grant Two-Year Extension for ARHOME Waiver

Dozens of Arkansas healthcare providers and organizations are pressing the federal government to approve the state's request for a two-year extension of its Medicaid expansion waiver, Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME). CMS has verbally denied Arkansas's initial request for a five-year extension. The state is seeking the two-year period to develop a new Medicaid expansion model. The outcome will determine the future of coverage for hundreds of thousands of Arkansans enrolled through the state's alternative expansion approach.

State Policy·AR·47d ago

Arkansas Officials Expect Medicaid Expansion Enrollees to Retain Coverage Despite Federal Changes

Arkansas Secretary of Human Services Janet Mann told state lawmakers that the state's more than 215,000 Medicaid expansion enrollees are expected to retain health coverage despite Trump administration moves to end the state's hybrid expansion program. Mann expressed confidence that CMS will grant the state flexibility to maintain coverage through alternative arrangements. The statement comes as the administration pursues policy changes affecting state Medicaid expansion programs. Arkansas operates a unique expansion model that uses Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for eligible adults.

State Policy·MT·55d ago

Montana Medicaid Work Requirement Threatens Coverage for Homeless Individuals with Disabilities

Montana's Medicaid work requirement is causing coverage loss for homeless individuals who cannot meet work or documentation standards due to disabilities like seizures. Adults aged 19-64 must work, volunteer, or participate in job training for 80 hours monthly, or document qualifying exemptions. Homeless individuals face barriers documenting exemptions and accessing exemption-granting providers. The policy affects Montana's expansion population, which includes approximately 100,000 adults.

State Policy·AR·55d ago

Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Faces New Political Threat in 2026

Arkansas' Medicaid expansion program, which covers over 300,000 low-income adults, is again facing potential elimination as state lawmakers debate its future. The program requires three-fourths legislative supermajority approval for funding, making it vulnerable to shifting political dynamics. Republican opposition has historically threatened the program despite its federal funding structure. The outcome will determine coverage continuity for hundreds of thousands of Arkansans enrolled through the expansion.

State Policy·AR·62d ago

CMS Denies Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Waiver Renewal Covering 200,000 Enrollees

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rejected Arkansas' request to renew its hybrid Medicaid expansion waiver, which currently covers more than 200,000 low-income adults. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office confirmed the verbal denial from CMS on Friday. The decision creates immediate uncertainty about whether Arkansas will continue expansion coverage, with potential coverage termination if no alternative arrangement is reached. Arkansas' expansion operates under a Section 1115 waiver with unique program features that required federal approval to continue.

State Policy·AR·82d ago

Arkansas Opens Applications for $55.6M Federal Rural Telehealth Funding

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Monday that providers can now apply for shares of $55.6 million in federal funding for rural telehealth projects. The funding comes from the Rural Health Transformation Program established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025. Applications are being administered through the Arkansas Department of Finance. The program aims to expand telehealth infrastructure and services in underserved rural areas of the state.

Managed Care·AR·89d ago

Centene Exits Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Program in 2027

Centene Corporation will discontinue participation in Arkansas' ARHOME Medicaid expansion program in 2027, according to the state Department of Human Services. The withdrawal affects one of the state's major managed care organizations serving the expansion population. Arkansas receives billions in federal Medicaid dollars annually, and Centene's exit will require the state to reassign covered members to remaining health plans or adjust its managed care delivery system. The decision reflects ongoing commercial considerations in state Medicaid managed care markets.

State Policy·AR·90d ago

Arkansas Begins Pre-Enforcement Review of Medicaid Work Requirements

Arkansas has started verifying whether Medicaid expansion enrollees meet work requirements mandated by new federal law, though enforcement does not begin until January 1, 2027. The state is conducting a 'soft launch' to assess compliance among hundreds of thousands of enrollees before penalties take effect. Enrollees who do not currently meet work requirements will not lose coverage during this pre-enforcement period. This represents Arkansas implementing federal work requirement authority ahead of the mandatory compliance date.

Federal Policy·111d ago

CMS Issues Final Rule on Medicaid Work Requirements for States

CMS released final regulations on June 1 governing how states implement Medicaid work requirements. The rule requires certain enrollees to prove they are working, completing job training, volunteering, or enrolled in educational programs to maintain coverage. States seeking to implement work requirements must comply with these federal standards. The rule affects millions of Medicaid enrollees and establishes the framework states must follow when designing and administering work requirement programs.

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