More than six and a half percent of kids in Arkansas had no health insurance coverage in 2023. That’s according to a recent report released by the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. The report, “Eyes on the Finish Line: We Cannot Stop Until Every Child Has Health Insurance,” reveals that 49,874 children lacked insurance in 2023, ranking Arkansas 42nd in the nation. As Little Rock Public Radio reports, when you look at children below the poverty line, those numbers are even higher.
After reaching a historic low of 4.1% of Arkansas children uninsured in 2016, the rates of the uninsured have ticked back up, reaching 6.7% in 2023. Analysts blame at least some of that increase on the 94,000 kids who lost Medicaid coverage in Arkansas after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This occurred during Arkansas’ so-called “unwinding period,” according to a report released in May 2024 by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
Other key takeaways from the report include the fact that eligible children are still losing coverage. Researchers state, “Families frequently face income fluctuations, address changes, and administrative hurdles that can cause coverage gaps, even when children remain eligible. These disruptions increase the risk of losing insurance and create barriers to care.” The study also reveals that health insurance coverage gaps are worst for children in households between 100–200% of the federal poverty guidelines. They had the highest uninsured rate at 12.7% in 2023.
