The uninsured rate for children in Arkansas has reached its highest level in a decade, according to a report released Wednesday by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. The study shows that as of 2024, 57,000 children in the state—7.7% of Arkansas’ child population—are uninsured, an increase of 7,000 from the previous year.
The report highlights particularly acute challenges for children from low-income working families, as well as Hispanic, immigrant, and non-English-speaking children. Hispanic children were found to have the highest uninsured rate among racial and ethnic groups at nearly 14%. Additionally, foreign-born children in Arkansas were over seven times more likely to lack insurance compared to children born in the United States.
“The progress we had made in ensuring children and families have health coverage has trended in the wrong direction since 2016,” said Camille Richoux, health policy director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and the report’s author. “At the same time, families are facing a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.”
Richoux pointed to the passage of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as a key factor creating new instability in healthcare access. Signed into law last year, the measure aims to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over the next decade to offset tax cuts benefiting wealthier Americans. These Medicaid cuts, the report argues, will have long-term ripple effects on children and families.
Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion program, which currently provides health coverage to more than 200,000 low-income residents, faces an uncertain future after the federal government declined to renew it. The state has requested permission to extend the program through 2028.
Access to health insurance in Arkansas remains strongly tied to income, education, and employment status, according to the report. Many uninsured adults work in jobs that do not offer affordable insurance options, such as low-wage, seasonal, or gig-economy positions. Women of childbearing age are particularly affected, with over 13% of Arkansas women between the ages of 15 and 45 uninsured in 2024.
The report also called attention to Arkansas’ decision not to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months after pregnancy, a measure many other states have adopted. Arkansas has some of the nation’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates.
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families’ research underscores the need for policy interventions to address systemic gaps in healthcare access in the state. Without action, disparities in coverage across income levels, race, and immigration status are likely to continue growing.