Decrease Seen in Number of Uninsured Arkansans, But Disparities Exist Between Counties

The number of uninsured Arkansans decreased by nearly 25,000 from 2021 to 2022, however significant disparities in uninsured rates exist across the state, according to ACHI. Arkansas reduced its uninsured rate among nonelderly individuals from 18.8 percent in 2013, before the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act took effect and Medicaid expansion coverage began in the state, to 10 percent – slightly above the national average of 9.5 percent – in 2022; county-level uninsured rates in Arkansas in 2022 ranged from 7.1 percent in Grant County to 15.5 percent in Sevier County. Not all Arkansas counties experienced declines in uninsured rates between 2021 and 2022. Six counties – Baxter, Chicot, Craighead, Izard, Lee, and Washington – saw increases, the largest being in Lee County, where the uninsured rate increased by 16.1 percent.