The US Federal Government announced last Friday its approval of the Arkansas' proposal of using federal funds to expand the state Medicaid health programs. The said proposal was in line with President Barack Obama's program of assisting low income residents in purchasing private insurance under the so-called Obamacare healthcare law.
The approval was given by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. WIth the move, more than 200,000 uninsured residents of the State of Arkansas would be able to receive the government aid in providing access to health coverage.
This proposal was the basis of other similar requests from the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania. About 23 other states and the District of Columbia have all agree to expand Medicaid coverage under the so-called Obamacare.
In a statement, "Arkansas and CMS worked to find flexibilities that gave the state the tools to build a program that worked for them and their residents." After the statement, Arkansas Governer Mike Beebe received a call from Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary for Health and Human Services. Her office overseas CMS.
In response, the Arkansas state governor said, "Now we will focus on getting this insurance to the Arkansans who need it to lead healthier, more productive lives."
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