Ark. starts insurance plan for low-income workers

Enrollment began Dec. 20, 2006, in Arkansas for a program partly paid by Medicaid dollars that will eventually offer insurance to 80,000 low-income workers. The Associated Press reported that health officials hope the initiative will cut down on the number of uninsured in the state.

ARHealthNet will let small to mid-sized employers enroll workers in a plan financed with a mix of employer, state and federal funds. The program is based on legislation passed by Arkansas lawmakers last year that said the state would help pay for the benefits with proceeds from a court settlement with tobacco manufacturers. Health officials have projected it will cost the state $18 million over the next five years.

According to its Web site, www.arhealthnet.com, ARHealthNet is available to qualified small businesses with 2 to 500 employees who have not offered a group health plan in the past 12 months or longer. The plan is limited to working Arkansans through qualified employers and is not available as an individual plan.

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