Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Grants Awards List

Arkansas has received multiple grant awards to build its Health Insurance Marketplace. This includes a Planning Grant and five Level One Establishment Grants and a Level 2 Establishment Grant.

Summaries of Arkansas’ applications for each grant are provided below:

Establishment Grant Level Two Application Summary

Administrator: Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace (AHIM)
Award Amount: $99,889,291
Award Date:  December 15, 2014
Application Due Date: October 15, 2014
Level of Funding:  Level Two

The Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace (AHIM) received funding to support its plans to transition to a State-based Marketplace (SBM). These efforts will be informed by the previous work of the State Partnership Marketplace (SPM) and performed working closely with key stakeholders.

Establishment Grant Level One Application Summary

Administrator: Arkansas Insurance Department
Award Amount: $7,665,483; $18,595,072; $16,470,852; $10,641,403; $3,576,093.
Award Date: February 22, 2012; September 27, 2012; April 8, 2013; January 22, 2014
Application Due Date: December 30, 2011; August 15, 2012; February 15, 2013; August 15, 2013; November 15, 2013.
Level of Funding: Level One

Summary: Arkansas intends to build on its Exchange planning progress to design and implement key components of the Federally-facilitated Exchange Partnership Model in Arkansas. Using Establishment Grant funding, Arkansas proposes to design and implement automation to connect Arkansas Medicaid and appropriate State-run Exchange functions with the Federally-facilitated Exchange Eligibility and Enrollment portal; design, develop, and implement operations and information systems to support State-operated Federally-facilitated Exchange Consumer Assistance functions including outreach, education, and the Navigator Program; and design, develop, and automate State-operated Plan Management functions of the Federally-facilitated Exchange including Qualified Health Plan certification, rating, monitoring, and evaluation to effect continuous quality improvement. These activities will continue to be done in collaboration with state partners and informed by input from stakeholders. Arkansas also plans to design a temporary reinsurance program.

The Arkansas Insurance Department (AID) is receiving a second Level One award to work in partnership with HHS and other federal and state stakeholders--public and private--to fully implement Plan Management and Consumer Assistance components of the Federally-facilitated Health Benefits Exchange (FFE). With this funding Arkansas plans to: 1) implement the Arkansas Qualified Health Plan (QHP) Certification Process and upload QHPs to the FFE portal in time for October 1, 2013 open enrollment; 2) implement the Arkansas In-Person Assister program to complement the federal Navigator Program and launch a workforce prepared to facilitate enrollment in the FFE; 3) implement a targeted outreach and education program encouraging FFE enrollment; and 4) study options and select the best method for promoting continuity of coverage and health provider networks among the large percentage of Arkansas residents expected to move between insurance affordability programs.

Arkansas will use its third Level One Establishment grant to 1) fund an Arkansas In-Person Assister (IPA) “Guide” program that will deploy more than 500 certified IPAs to assist consumers across the state during open enrollment; 2) provide oversight/coordination functions for Federal Navigators working in Arkansas; 3) implement an outreach and education campaign designed to encourage consumers to enroll in health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace; 4) develop an Arkansas Health Connector Resource Center to answer consumer questions/concerns and establish a source of accurate information for various stakeholders and consumers; and 5) update Arkansas’ Qualified Health Plan (QHP) certification and monitoring criteria in preparation for Plan Year 2015 QHP applications and certification.

Arkansas Insurance Department will use its fourth Level One award to support the State in its role as a Consumer Assistance and Plan Management State Partnership Marketplace.  The Level One grant award funds the State to continue the following activities: outreach and education campaign, Non-Navigator (In-Person) Assistance services, outreach to stakeholders to inform communities across the regions of the state about options available under the Affordable Care Act, development of policies and procedures to support Qualified Health Plan (QHP) certification and re-certification, plan monitoring activities, and continuity of health insurance coverage issues, specifically regarding pediatric coverage and stand-alone dental plans.

Arkansas’ fifth Level One award will allow the State to work toward transitioning to a State-Based Marketplace (SBM) model for plan year 2016.  Federal funding will support Arkansas’ engagement with stakeholders and consumer groups, and Arkansas’ efforts to research and analyze other states’ SBM implementation.

State Planning Grant

Awarded September 30, 2010

Administrator: Arkansas Insurance Department

Amount Awarded: $1,000,000

Award Supplement: $200,928 (March 8, 2012)

• The planning process will be guided by principles of consumer protection, stakeholder inclusion, integrated systems, quality, and cost-efficiency.
• Create an interagency executive planning team.
• Secure assistance with research and analyses that will allow Arkansas to make informed planning decisions.
• Create a final report which will include recommendations about:
  • Governance and administrator of the Arkansas Exchange.
  • Policy/regulatory needs including benefit standards, incentives, reporting, and monitoring requirements.
  • Existing technology and infrastructure to support Exchange operations.
  • Methods and costs for integrating Exchange eligibility and enrollment processes with those for Medicaid and other emerging health reform initiatives.
  • A start-up business/operations plan and five year sustainability plan for Arkansas’s Exchange.
• Conduct background market research, Exchange Planning Meetings, and fund the staff necessary to support these efforts.
• Design and implement key components of the Federally-facilitated Exchange Partnership Model in Arkansas.

Administrative Supplement Award Amount: $200,928.00 (March 8, 2012)

Summary: Arkansas will use these additional funds to address unmet needs for background market research that will allow them to better predict issuer participation. Arkansas will also contract (through interagency agreements) with local entities to improve market research. The funds will also be used to facilitate additional planning meetings and Exchange Planning Staff necessary to oversee ongoing planning efforts.

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