Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Arkansas program

Children's coverage above the Medicaid line (ARKids First-B)

Arkansas's children's coverage for families above the ARKids A income line. It has no premium but does have copays.

What it is

Arkansas's children's coverage for families above the ARKids A income line. It has no premium but does have copays.

One application covers ARKids A and B. The county decides which fits your child. ARKids B has a yearly limit on family charges, but the Medicaid ride program excludes it.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must be younger than 19 and live in Arkansas. DHS checks your child’s household and other eligibility requirements.
  • Other insurance can affect ARKids B, and an offer of a work plan is different from being enrolled. The financial counselor can ask DHS to check your child’s current coverage and any special-health-care-needs exception before you change insurance.
What you get
  • No premium, with about a $10 office-visit copay.
  • Yearly family charges are capped at 5% of income before taxes.
  • Hospital care, chemotherapy and prescriptions.
Coverage and limits
  • Eligible children generally receive 12 months of continuous coverage. One family application lets DHS compare ARKids A and B.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the county DHS office about ARKids through Access Arkansas.
  2. Have ready: your child's ID, current pay records and insurance cards, plus details of any work-plan offer.

Access Arkansas / county DHS, 1-855-372-1084 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The county's notice identifies A or B. That choice changes copays and access to Medicaid transport.
Good to know

ARKids B excludes Medicaid rides. Other insurance also needs a separate DHS review before you compare coverage choices.

Other details
  • The 5% ceiling uses annual gross family income. The county can explain how your payments are tracked.

Federal background: Children's Health Insurance Program.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If our child qualifies for ARKids B, how would its copays and travel limits affect us? Would you recommend applying, and could you help us compare it with our other coverage?”

Why I’m asking: I want to know the full cost of coverage, including getting to treatment.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

File the one application and report this month's income. Ask which program your child was put on.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counselor can file with you and check the copay rule against your bills.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The county Department of Human Services office decides which ARKids program your child goes on.
Ask your social worker
“If my child goes on ARKids B instead of A, what will we be charged, and how do we get to appointments without the Medicaid rides?”

How to apply

First step: File the one ARKids application at access.arkansas.gov, or call 1-855-372-1084.

  1. File the one ARKids application; the county decides A or B.
  2. Ask the county whether a work-plan offer changes the answer.
  3. If your child lands on ARKids B, ask the hospital social worker about travel help, because the state rides do not cover ARKids B.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same application as ARKids A, at access.arkansas.gov or 1-855-372-1084.

What to gather

  • Your child's ID and Social Security number
  • This month's pay for each parent at home
  • Any insurance cards

How long: Arkansas has not published a current decision deadline where we could read it. Ask the county office when you file.

What a yes looks like

A notice saying ARKids B with a card and a copay schedule. Coverage runs 12 months.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the answer is no on income, ask about TEFRA, which leaves parents' income out of the decision.

Watch out

  • The state rides to appointments exclude ARKids B children by name. Ask the hospital about travel help instead.
  • The state's own chart prints an age of 29 where its question page says under 19. Take the under-19 answer and ask the county.
  • Whether an offer of a work plan blocks ARKids B is not published. Ask the county rather than guessing.

Dates that change this

2026-04-01: The ARKids B income chart could be read only in a search listing. One of its cells is arithmetically wrong and its age column says 29, which the state's own question page contradicts with "younger than 19". We screen on the published percentage of the poverty line and print no cell from that chart. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Children's coverage with no premium, a $10 office copay and a yearly family ceiling of 5% of income before taxes.

  • $10 — Usual office-visit copay
  • $5 — Annual family out-of-pocket ceiling

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · Doctor visits

Legal protection: 12 months of continuous coverage on the state chart

What it costs the family: No premium. About $10 for an office visit, with a yearly ceiling of 5% of your income before taxes.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19 (the state's question page; the chart's "under 29" is a source error we do not use)
Age max exclusive
19
Income
Over the ARKids A line and at or under about 211% of the federal poverty level, with a 5 percentage-point allowance where it makes the difference. The chart's dollar cells could not be opened and one is arithmetically wrong, so none is printed.
Insurance status condition
unknown: employer-offered versus enrolled, and any state-employee exclusion, were not published where we could read them
Residency
Arkansas
Continuous eligibility
12 months on the state chart

The trap: Rides to appointments do not come with ARKids B: the state's transport rules exclude ARKids B children by name. If your child is on ARKids B and travel to Little Rock is the problem, ask the hospital social worker about other transport help.

Where I read this

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