In a report by Talk Business & Politics, more than 301,000 Arkansans are either receiving health insurance through the private option or have been deemed eligible for the program as of the end of September – an increase of almost 7,000 from the previous month.
The number of individuals enrolled in the private option reached 270,572. Another 30,436 had been determined eligible but had not yet finished enrolling. Along with those 301,008 Arkansans, another 23,309 who applied through the program were considered “medically frail” and enrolled in traditional Medicaid.
The numbers were revealed Monday in a letter dated Oct. 14 from Department of Human Services Director Cindy Gillespie to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Gillespie wrote Hutchinson that the increase in applications is due to the department’s working to eliminate a backlog of cases. She said the number of applications is likely to grow.
