More than 170,000 Arkansans have applied and are eligible for the private option program for healthcare and dental insurance, according to the state's Department of Human Services (DHS). The private option is Arkansas' program that uses federal Medicaid money to subsidize private health insurance for people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
And while that's positive, some state legislator have expressed concern that vision and dental benefits are not available statewide with the private-option insurance plans, according to an Arkansas News article. Rather, these benefits are only available in central, western, and northwestern Arkansas.
Four insurance carriers are selling insurance through the Arkansas health insurance marketplace, but only one, Ambetter, offers a version of a medium-level plan that includes vision and dental benefits. The carrier only operates in the central, western, and northwestern areas of the state. More than 8,358 Arkansans have selected health insurance plans from Ambetter with dental and vision since March 30, according to the DHS.
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