Arkansas department of human services
40K Arkansans lose Medicaid coverage after their eligibility is left unknown
More than 40,000 Arkansans were removed from the state’s Medicaid program at the end of April because they did not provide required information to determine their eligibility, the state Department of Human Services announced Monday. The department has been reviewing the eligibility of about 420,000 Medicaid enrollees who had their coverage extended over the last […]
Medicaid error fixed ahead of scheduled removal of ineligible clients, per Arkansas DHS
Several Arkansas Medicaid recipients were briefly disenrolled from the health insurance program last week due to an error at the state Department of Human Services, two DHS spokespeople said Monday. “Coverage has been restored for most of these beneficiaries, though there are some isolated cases that are being fixed today,” communications chief Gavin Lesnick said […]
Arkansas Medicaid recipients seek DHS response to feedback, more time to confirm eligibility
Medicaid recipients who are concerned about losing coverage soon did not let Friday’s pouring rain stop them from gathering in front of the Department of Human Services’ headquarters in downtown Little Rock. Three attendees carried umbrellas with the message “Don’t leave us waiting in the rain” painted on them. The small crowd chanted “What do […]
Sanders: Arkansas will seek federal OK for new Medicaid work requirement
This story was updated at 10:40 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2023. Arkansas is seeking a waiver from the federal government in order to require adult Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer, go to school or receive workforce training in order to receive certain health care coverage, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam […]
Arkansas Medicaid recipients petition DHS for better care, accessibility
Al Allen’s younger brother faced more than physical struggles after narrowly surviving being hit by a car on the interstate, she said. Allen’s brother was 18 and uninsured at the time of the accident, and he received treatment at the nearest neurotrauma care center in Springfield, Missouri. Almost two years later, he is able to […]
Arkansas Human Services nominee called quick learner, “unflappable” leader
Kristi Putnam entered Kentucky state government in 2016 as an executive assistant in the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, but she was really “an ambassador without a portfolio,” Kentucky Youth Advocates executive director Terry Brooks said. “It was one of those [roles] where you knew she was brought in to sort of be […]
The Blue Umbrella sells hand-crafted merchandise from Arkansans with disabilities
A little store nestled in downtown Little Rock offers a refreshing break from the busyness and consumerism of the holiday shopping season. It offers customers products handmade by an Arkansan, and the dollars spent have an impact beyond that goes well beyond a paycheck for those artists and craftsmen who made the items in the […]
Fired Arkansas Human Services worker mishandled Medicaid clients’ personal information
An Arkansas Department of Human Services employee used her personal email account to handle protected information about Medicaid recipients, according to the agency. The mishandled information included beneficiaries’ ID numbers, dates of birth, gender information, location data and flu diagnoses of 925 individuals, according to a news release. The breached data did not include names, […]
Arkansas lawmakers mulling improvements to mental and behavioral health policy
Arkansas legislators are compiling a report to recommend legislation during the 2023 session aimed at bolstering mental and behavioral health services for Arkansans of all ages and incomes. The Joint Health Services Subcommittee met Monday to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the state’s existing mental and behavioral health care resources, in accordance with a […]
Arkansas Medicaid eligibility review expected to start in January – DHS officials
The Arkansas Department of Human Services is ready to “unwind” Medicaid coverage for thousands of Arkansans who gained access to the health insurance program when the federal government declared a public health emergency in 2020, officials said Friday. The public health emergency (PHE) declared at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely end in […]
An interview with Arkansas’ outgoing Secretary of Human Services Cindy Gillespie
Cindy Gillespie’s last day as the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services was Friday. Advocate Deputy Editor Hunter Field had a brief conversation with Gillespie and her successor, Mark White. Gillespie, whose annual salary was roughly $287,o00, is leaving after more than six years at the helm of Arkansas’ largest state agency to […]
Arkansas will no longer auto-assign new Medicaid expansion enrollees to private plans
State Medicaid officials made a subtle change this month to reduce the number of low-income Arkansans who receive financial assistance to purchase private health insurance. Previously, those eligible for the state’s expanded Medicaid program who didn’t choose a commercial health plan would be automatically enrolled in one. But with the Sept. 1 policy change, the […]