Arkansas Medicaid Expansion: Do I Qualify for Medicaid Under the ACA?

 

Not all states have expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Learn where Arkansas stands.

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The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) expanded Medicaid eligibility to include more people who couldn’t otherwise obtain health insurance. As written, the ACA would extend Medicaid to all adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. (For a single person in Arkansas in 2023, that’s $20,120. For a family of four, it’s $41,400.)

However, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that it was up to individual states to decide whether to expand Medicaid. As of December 2023, only 10 states have not expanded their programs. 

Arkansas Has Expanded Medicaid

Arkansas did decide to expand its Medicaid program. The expansion program is called "Arkansas Works," and it functions differently than Medicaid expansion in most states. Arkansas residents who need health coverage and are eligible for expanded Medicaid will go to the health insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov. There, they will apply for a private health insurance plan. When they reach the point of purchase, the state Medicaid agency will pay the bill.

The new program originally contained a work requirement, but that was overturned in court and put on pause for now. In September 2021, Arkansas applied to the federal government to replace Arkansas Works with a new program that would require some people to participate in activities to improve their health and economic independence as a requirement of receiving benefits. This application is pending.

Find Out What Health Plans and Programs You Qualify For

To learn whether you're eligible for Medicaid in Arkansas, contact the Arkansas Medicaid office.

You can also find out whether you qualify when you apply for health insurance at Healthcare.gov. If you don’t meet Arkansas’s Medicaid requirements, Healthcare.gov will show you the private health insurance plans available to you. You may still be eligible for significant cost-saving subsidies based on your income and family size.

For more information, see Ways to Save Money on Obamacare in Arkansas.


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Jurisdictional relevance: ST

There are versions of this article for each State.



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