The Arkansas Department of Human Services secured a temporary six-month extension of its Medicaid expansion waiver, Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, according to a Nov. 5 news release.
The waiver was slated to expire at the end of 2026. CMS previously denied the renewal waiver due to compliance concerns with HR 1’s budget neutrality provisions. Arkansas had requested a two-year extension.
“We are grateful for the approval of our request for a temporary extension on the ARHOME waiver,” Arkansas DHS Secretary Janet Mann said in the release. “We look forward to continuing our conversations with our partners as we build a new delivery model for this program, and our commitment to responsible stewardship of resources and connecting eligible Arkansans to quality healthcare will remain our focus.”
The department confirmed to Becker’s Nov. 11 that CMS could possibly give an additional extension, as well.
“CMS has signaled that it will support our efforts to work with the legislature on a new delivery system for this program, and we look forward to sharing our progress,” the department said.
As of Nov. 1, ARHOME had 208,837 individuals enrolled. Centene’s Ambetter is exiting the program in 2027, prompting roughly 70,000 people to switch to a Blue Cross plan.
ARHOME beneficiaries will also be subject to upcoming Medicaid work requirements, which the state soft launched in July. The rules will apply to those aged 19 to 64 enrolled in ARHOME, with some exempt categories.
“The soft launch is progressing as planned, and we continue to notify enrollees of their compliance status ahead of penalties going into place [on Jan. 1],” the department said.
