Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday began promoting ARHealthNet, a state program aiming to provide health care insurance to eligible employees of small businesses in Arkansas.
“While we work to find new ways to make health care more accessible to all Arkansans, we must also take advantage of the tools already in place,” Beebe said in a news release. “ARHealthNet allows Arkansas small businesses to offer basic, affordable health benefits to their employees. This helps businesses remain economically viable while making their employees healthier and happier.”
(Click here to see more on this story from Arkansas Business on THV.)
Beebe plans to promote the program at various sites throughout the summer. But he was unable to attend a news conference in Pine Bluff after being stuck in Texarkana due to morning storms.
Funded by Tobacco Settlement
ARHealthNet, funded with federal money and money from the state’s tobacco settlement, allows small businesses to offer health insurance to full-time, lower-income employees as long as the business meets the program’s qualifications.
According to the governor’s office, 177 Arkansas businesses are enrolled in the program. Through those businesses, 665 Arkansas employees are covered by the program.
Monthly premiums will range between $30 and $300, based on age, gender, and household income. Coverage is only available through the program’s contracted providers, even in urgent or emergency situations. No pre-existing conditions are excluded by ARHealthNet, and benefits start immediately after enrollment.
Criteria
To qualify, small businesses must not have offered insurance coverage during the previous 12 months, agree to cover each eligible employee, and have at least one employee that meets the income qualifications.
Employees, meanwhile, must work full-time (at least 30 hours a week), have an annual household income of not more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (now at $41,300 for a family of four), and be a U.S. citizen living in Arkansas between the ages of 19 and 64.
The program is being administered by NovaSys Health for the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services. The Little Rock-based company also administers health plans for state employees and public school teachers.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee unveiled ARHealthNet in December, calling the program unlike any in the country.
More on the program is available at its Web site at ArHealthNet.com.
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