ARKids First: Health Insurance Program for Children in Arkansas

Everyone is talking about health care reform. One of the biggest and best accomplishments made by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was the ARKids First program. This is a fantastic health insurance program that makes sure all Arkansas children get the health care they need and deserve. All a parent has to do is to apply for it.

I am not ashamed to say that my children used the program before I started teaching. It helped us out tremendously. We could not afford health insurance at the time. Our son was sick a lot as an infant and this insurance program allowed us to give him the care he needed. Let me explain what it is.

ARKids First is a health insurance program for children 18 and under. It is broken down into two different programs: ARKids A and ARKids B.

ARKids First A is actually Medicaid. This is for families with very low income. For an average family of four, with children under six years old, your maximum income would be $29,326.56 a year in order to qualify for ARKids A. If the children are six years old and over, the yearly income requirement is $22,050.00.

ARKids First B picks up those children in which families are stuck in between. If the parents can't get insurance from their employer or have lost coverage for some reason. The income requirement for ARKids B with a family of four is $44,100.00 a year, no matter what age the children are.

My children had qualified for ARKids B. The largest difference between A and B is that A doesn't require deductibles, premiums or co-payments. ARKids B also does not require deductibles or premiums, but in most cases, you will be asked to pay a co-payment of $10.

ARKids covers all of your child's basic health needs from shots and check ups to mild or even serious illness.

One surprise may be that it also covers dental services. It even extends to orthodontics services for those on ARKids A, with approval. Unfortunately, ARKids B won't cover any orthodontics.

Applying for ARKids First is easy and available on line. You can also get in touch with your local Department of Human Services office to apply. It is one application for both and DHS will determine which program your child qualifies for.

I can not say enough positive things about this program. I do not know what we would have done without it. It was a simple process and everyone treated us with the same amount of respect and professionalism as if it was a private insurance through our employer. If you or someone you know has a child or children in need of insurance, please encourage them to apply for ARKids First. It is the best thing Mike Huckabee ever did for Arkansas.

It does worry me a little about what health care reform will do to the program. Will it still be able to function under the new laws and regulations being passed? I guess only time will tell. It is a program that needs to keep going and does not need to be interfered with by the federal government.

ARKids First is an excellent insurance program for children and proves that Arkansas is ahead of other states in taking care of the health of its children.

Sources:
http://www.arkidsfirst.com