medicaid
DEA serves search warrant in investigation of former Arkansas Medical Board Chairman
Federal agents this week executed a search warrant in an ongoing investigation into former Arkansas State Medical Board chairman Dr. Brian Hyatt. The confirmation of a federal investigation by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas expands the growing legal entanglement surrounding the Northwest Arkansas psychiatrist, who resigned as head […]
GOP’s desired work requirements for federal aid would kick roughly 21M from anti-poverty programs
Congressional Republicans’ efforts to slash federal spending by tying work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP would have far-reaching consequences for people with mental health issues, chronic health problems, and some people with disabilities if enacted, policy experts on anti-poverty programs say. They say the work requirements as laid out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Limit, […]
A default on the U.S. debt would be far worse than a government shutdown. Here’s how.
WASHINGTON — A U.S. default on its debt would have a significantly broader impact on federal operations, financial markets and the global economy than recent government shutdowns that have left ordinary Americans largely untouched. While the two have been confused frequently during debate over the debt limit, the federal government has had considerable practice with […]
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 Legislature saw wide range of maternal and reproductive health legislation in 2023
Prenatal and postpartum healthcare policies rose on Arkansas’ priority list after abortion became illegal in the state, but did not rise high enough, according to advocates for the well-being of pregnant and newborn Arkansans. Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, introduced several bills to bolster this area of healthcare during the 2023 legislative session. Some made it […]
DACA recipients to gain health coverage under new plan from Biden administration
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he will direct his administration to allow undocumented people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to enroll in Medicaid or private insurance provided under the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will issue a proposed rule on the policy by […]
Alabama looks to Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion as a possible template
As Alabama lawmakers appear to warm up to the idea of Medicaid expansion, Arkansas has emerged as a potential model for the program. The Alabama Hospital Association has previously stated they are working on an “Alabama-specific” model that draws from the best of other states, with Arkansas as a major source. Arkansas expanded Medicaid in […]
Postpartum Medicaid expansion is the first step to maternal health equity, experts say
Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States: 43.5 deaths from 2018 to 2021 for every 100,000 live births, according to the latest federal data. But the state only extends postpartum Medicaid to 60 days after childbirth. A bill by Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, aims to change that and would seek to […]
Idaho bans nearly all abortions — and just declined to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage
Without coverage from Idaho’s Medicaid program, Moscow resident Erin Singer is convinced she would have felt forced to seek an abortion when she got pregnant with her son in 2017. And without coverage from Medicaid after she gave birth, Singer wouldn’t have been able to afford the physical therapy required to treat the debilitating pelvic […]
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 […]
Rural hospitals gird for unwinding of pandemic Medicaid coverage
Donald Lloyd, CEO and president of St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, Kentucky, has spent more than a year dealing with higher costs for food and medical supplies for his regional hospital. Now he’s trying to prepare for another financial hit — the loss of Medicaid reimbursements for treating people in rural Appalachia. “We are all […]