Some parents in the state are struggling to obtain the plans they need to make sure their kids are covered.
Parents are feeling a substantial headache from an Arkansas health insurance backlog that is making it difficult for them to be able to buy a plan that will cover their kids.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the state are now sitting on a waiting list for their coverage approval.
The waiting list is the result of a backlog with the Arkansas health insurance options such as ARKids, Medicaid, and a range of other private options. According to a statement from the Arkansas Department of Human Resources, they are making every effort to try to ensure that everyone is processed through the waiting list as quickly as they can. However, this long waiting time is leading to significant frustrations for parents.
That said, there are families that have complained that they have been waiting for months for Arkansas health insurance approval.
Parents are being warned of the delay, at the time of application. Still, there are some that were told that they would have a 45 day wait, but that have yet to receive their approval after three or four months have already passed. Follow up phone calls have only told these parents that their health insurance coverage approval remains pending and that they can’t be offered a specific date by which it will all be processed.
According to the director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Amy Webb, “We are actually renewing almost 600,000 people in Arkansas.” She explained that the reason the backlog has occurred is due to a change in the system. That said, she also pointed out that they are doing everything they can to make sure that all of the approvals are processed at the fastest rate possible.
“We don’t normally do this many at one time, but in this particular situation, we did have to do a great number at once,” Webb stated. She was also careful to say that there are some clinics and doctors who are willing to take patients if they have pending insurance that has not yet received its approval.
Moreover, she reminded parents that even if their Arkansas health insurance hasn’t yet been approved, the local DHS office can be contacted in the case of children who have serious medical issues or who require medication they cannot do without. In those cases, the approval will be given a priority status.