Arkansas Health Insurance

How healthy is living
in Arkansas?

Arkansas climbed one spot in 2011, ranking as the 47th healthiest state to live in, according to the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The percentage of Arkansas children in poverty has decreased from 25.7 percent of the population to 21.8 percent.
• The infant mortality rate has also declined over the past five years.

The bad news:

• Obesity is on the rise and so is diabetes. And smoking continues to be prevalent, with about 23 percent of the Arkansas adults listed as smokers.
• The percentage of uninsured Arkansas residents has climbed from 13.7 percent to 18.9 percent over the past decade.

The state's best and worst category ratings:

• Binge Drinking – 6th
• Smoking – 46th
• Cardiovascular Deaths – 46th
• Premature Death – 46th
• Occupational Fatalities – 47th
• Infectious Disease – 47th

more details

• See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Arkansas.
• Trust for America's Health ia another source for key Arkansas health quality findings. In addition, 2010's federal health reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included the creation of a prevention fund to provide more than $16 billion over the next 10 years to invest in effective, proven prevention efforts, like childhood obesity prevention and tobacco cessation, and the site has a report on how it impacts Arkansas here.

get local health results

State snapshot too large? Get county-by-county health rankings for Arkansas, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Does Arkansas have a health insurance high risk pool?

Arkansas Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan
Toll-free 1-800-285-6477

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Arkansas started offering health care insurance coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Arkansas's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Non-profit sources of health insurance information for Arkansas

• The Foundation for Health Coverage Education's mission is to provide simplified public and private health insurance eligibility information in order to help more people access coverage. Here is its guide to guide on how to find health insurance in Arkansas.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking the progress of health insurance reform in each state. Its page for Arkansas can be found here.
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization that, among other things, provides health care plan report cards for consumers. Search for Arkansas health insurance plan report cards.

Arkansas state government health insurance resources

ARKIDS 1ST —  ARKIDS 1ST provides two coverage options for more than 70,000 Arkansas children: ARKids A offers low-income families a comprehensive package of benefits; ARKids B provides coverage for families with higher incomes.

Arkansas Senior Health Insurance Information Program —  Arkansas Senior Health Insurance Information Program  regulates life and health insurance in Arkansas.

Arkansas Insurance Department Consumer Services Division —  Arkansas Insurance Department Consumer Services Division regulates life and health insurance in Arkansas.

Arkansas Insurance Department Life and Health Division —  Arkansas Insurance Department Life and Health Division regulates life and health insurance in Arkansas.

Arkansas Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan —  Toll-free 1-800-285-6477

How did Arkansas officials vote on health reform?

H.R.2: Repealing the Health Care Bill

#14

Date of Vote: 1/19/2011 Status: House passed 245-189, 1 not voting

HOUSE|SENATE

1/19/2011--Passed House amended. Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions. [more]

Yes (4)

• Rick Crawford

• Tim Griffin

• Mike Ross

• Steve Womack