HJAR May/Jun 2021

40 MAY / JUN 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS MEDICAID COLUMN MEDICAID THE Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed into federal law Dec. 27, 2020, restoredMedicaid eligibility to any individual lawfully residing in the United States through the Compact of Free Association (COFA) treaty between the U.S. and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Mar- shall Islands and the Republic of Palau. That means that as of March 2, 2021, Micronesian, Palauan and Marshallese people who meet the eligibility criteria for Medicaid are no longer barred from receiving this coverage. This is particularly important for Arkansas, because approximately 12,000 Marshall Is- landers are living in the State. Of those in Arkansas, estimates indicate that about 20% were uninsured when the law was signed. The lack of affordable healthcare coverage for this population was highlighted as the country faced the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. agencies and other state partners to com- municate this new healthcare opportunity to eligible COFAresidents and to the healthcare providers who serve them. A Brief History The United States liberated the FreeAsso- ciation States from Japanese control inWorld War II and in 1947 entered a trusteeship with the United Nations to become the adminis- tering authority over Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands re- mained under U.S. authority until 1986 when the Compact of FreeAssociation (COFA) was signed. This affirmed residents from the Free Association States could settle legally in the United States after the effects of decadelong nuclear bomb testing conducted by the U.S. Military in the Marshall Islands in the 1940s and 1950s. Springdale in Northwest Arkansas is home Restoring Healthcare for EligibleMarshall Islanders in Arkansas Prior to the new law, Arkansas had few available options for providing healthcare coverage through the Medicaid program to the Marshallese population. Arkansas ex- ercised an option through the federal Child Health Insurance Program to allow the State to use Medicaid to cover pregnant women and children who were otherwise not eligible for healthcare coverage. About 840 pregnant Marshallese women and children are pro- vided healthcare coverage through this pro- gram. Short-term coverage also was available through Emergency Medicaid to treat acute onset, life-threatening conditions. The new law allows all eligible individuals from the Free Association States to have access to ongoing, comprehensive healthcare cover- age through theArkansas Medicaid program, including prescription coverage. The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is working with Marshallese Janet Mann Director Division of Medical Services Arkansas Medicaid