State News

State News

Center on Aging-Northeast to Assist in Medicare Open Enrollment

JONESBORO – The Center on Aging-Northeast, part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), will once again assist Medicare participants with their prescription drug plans during the open enrollment period by providing non-biased evaluations and enrollment assistance.

The Medicare open enrollment period to join or switch Medicare drug and health plans begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7. To make an appointment for assistance, call Cynthia Abel at 870-2077595 or 800-745-0557. The Center on Aging-Northeast is located at 303 E. Matthews, across from St. Bernards Hospital.

The UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast has been assisting Medicare recipients with their plans since 2006. The assistance is free and participants will need to bring a list of medications, current drug or health plan card, and Medicare card.

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Medicaid Expansion Drastically Cut Rural Uninsured Rate in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’s decision to expand Medicaid has paid off for residents of small towns and rural areas, according to a new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

The uninsured rate for lowincome adults living in small towns and rural areas of Arkansas dropped from 45 percent in 2008 to 22 percent in 2016, the report shows. That 23-percent drop is one of the sharpest declines in the country, behind only Colorado, Nevada, Kentucky, Oregon and New Mexico.

Arkansas’s result follows a national trend showing that, in states that expanded Medicaid, low-income adults living in small towns and rural areas saw their uninsured rates improve from an average of 35 percent to 16 percent.

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Kennedy to Headline Rally for Mental Health

LITTLE ROCK – Continual changes to state regulations threaten closure or crippling of mental health organizations serving more than 100,000 Arkansans. Concerned Arkansans will rally in support of mental health Thursday, at 3 p.m. on the steps of the State Capitol. Hundreds of providers, persons living with mental illness, families, social workers, direct-care staff, community leaders and advocates are expected at the rally, featuring keynote speaker Patrick Kennedy, former congressman and mental health advocate. Other speakers include mental health advocates Leslee Bagley and Marquitta Magnini of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).