In December, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced a plan to bring relief to thousands of families stuck on a waiting list for Medicaid-funded services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Under the governor’s plan, Arkansas will spend an additional $37.6…
Two months ago, things were looking dire for Empower Healthcare Solutions, a managed care organization that serves roughly 20,000 Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries with developmental disabilities, severe behavioral health disorders and other complex needs. The attorney general’s office was investigating the…
In June 2018, when Arkansas became the first state in the nation to implement work requirements for certain Medicaid beneficiaries, Governor Hutchinson was triumphant. “We’ve wanted to establish a work requirement … for a long time,” he said at the…
In a letter, Deputy Attorney General Lloyd Warford said a full investigation into allegations of fraud was only now getting under way. But an initial review found “sufficient credible evidence” to support the suspension of Empower from the Medicaid program.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has suspended new enrollment for Empower Healthcare Solutions, a managed care organization serving about 20,000 Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual or developmental disabilities, behavioral health disorders or both. Empower is one of four Provider-led Arkansas…
This story was updated with additional details at 10:45 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 6. Empower Healthcare Solutions, a managed care organization that serves almost 20,000 Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries with complex health needs, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday against…
A new state law puts Arkansas doctors who work with transgender youth in a difficult bind: They must either stop providing what they consider to be life-saving medication to their young patients or risk losing their medical license. House Bill…
On Sunday, April 4, around 4:30 p.m., Little Rock 911 received an emergency call placed from the campus of Baptist Health Medical Center. The caller, Rowdie Adams, was a flight paramedic on a medevac helicopter transporting a patient to Baptist,…
With Medicaid work requirements a nonstarter for the Biden administration, Arkansas officials are planning big changes to the Medicaid expansion program. But key details of the proposal remain vague.
Meanwhile, a breakdown of total adult vaccination rates by county showed stark disparities across the state. Franklin County and Cleveland County have provided at least one dose to almost 19.8% of people ages 16 and up. The lowest rates were in Miller County, at 3.8%, and Hempstead County, at 6.6%.
Arkansas will not request a continuation of its controversial “work requirements” policy when it applies for federal approval to renew Arkansas Works, the state’s Medicaid expansion program, according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services. But in…
As thousands more Arkansans test positive for COVID-19 each day and the number of available intensive care unit beds in the state’s hospitals dwindles, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is beginning the next phase of its surge plan.…
The Arkansas Nonprofit News Network is an independent, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to producing journalism that matters to Arkansans. Our work is re-published by partner newsrooms across the state.
