Arkansas Health Insurance - Health Plan One

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Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield

In Arkansas, medical underwriting is allowed without restriction. Medical underwriting is the process of allowing health insurance companies to review the medical history of prospective members. For preexisting condition requirements, the carrier may look back in a consumer’s medical history 60 months for any preexisting conditions.

Arkansas offers health insurance for the medically uninsurable called the Arkansas Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool (ACHIP). You may be federally eligible for ACHIP if you are a resident of Arkansas, you have had 18 months of continuous coverage that ended within the past 63 days, you are not eligible for another health plan including Medicaid, and you did not lose your previous insurance due to non-payment or fraud. You may be residentially eligible for ACHIP if you have been a resident of Arkansas for at least 90 days and you have either been denied health insurance or accepted at a rate that is 50% higher than the CHIP premium, or if you have been a resident for 30 days and were previously in another state’s high risk pool. You must also not be eligible for any other health insurance, including Medicaid, not be a resident of an institution, not have already had CHIP in the past 12 months, and not have received $1,000,000 in CHIP benefits.

Coverage under high-risk health insurance for those federally and residentially eligible includes doctor visits, prescription drugs, out-patient and in-patient hospital care, ambulance, labs and x-rays, skilled nursing care, home health visits, maternity, preventive care, transplants, rehabilitation, durable medical equipment, mental health and substance abuse, and physical and occupational therapy. To find out the eligibility requirements, please visit the Arkansas website for CHIP (Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool) for uninsurable Arkansas residents at http://www.chiparkansas.org/.

Medical underwriting is also allowed for small group insurance in Arkansas. Rates may vary by plus or minus 25 percent of the indexed rate based on the health status of the group. For preexisting condition requirements the carrier may look back in a consumer’s medical history 6 months and impose a 12 month exclusionary period for those that did not have prior medical coverage. You must be given a special opportunity to sign up for your group health plan if certain changes happen to your family.

Medicaid is a state/federal program that offers free or subsidized health coverage for pregnant women, families with children, elderly and disabled individuals with very low incomes. These individuals must meet certain income and other requirements.

Children
Ages 1-5: 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
Ages 6-19: 200% of the Federal Poverty Level

Ambulance service, ambulatory surgical center, child health management services, chiropractor, dental care, doctor services, emergency room, Federally Qualified Health Care, home health services, hospice, hospital care, immunizations, lab tests, x-rays, medical equipment, nurse-midwife, nursing home, podiatrist, pregnancy termination, prescription drugs, rural health clinic, therapy, vision care, well-child care, and women’s health.

Costs vary; however, there are no co-payments if you are under 18, pregnant, living in a nursing home, or receiving family planning services.

Learn more about Arkansas Medicaid at http://www.medicaid.state.ar.us/

Arkansas offers COBRA, the Consolidate Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. COBRA requires an employer who employs more than 20 people to offer continued group insurance coverage to former employees who lost coverage due to job loss, reduction in hours worked, death, or divorce.