ARHOME (Arkansas Medicaid Expansion)

ARHOME, Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, is Arkansas's Medicaid expansion for working-age adults 19 to 64. Adults qualify with household income at or below 138 percent of poverty, and it covers both parents and childless adults. So a single adult without children can be covered, which was not always true here. Apply online through the Access Arkansas benefits portal.

ARHOME works differently from ordinary Medicaid. It uses a private-option model, enrolling most people in a Qualified Health Plan from a private insurer, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield or Ambetter, with full coverage including preventive care. It also runs Life360 HOMEs, which support maternal health, high-risk pregnancies, and serious mental illness and substance use.

There is a major change coming, so plan for it. Beginning January 1, 2027, with a soft launch July 1, 2026, adults 19 to 64 must meet a work and community-engagement requirement: 80 hours a month, earning at least $580 monthly, through employment, training, education, or volunteering.

The work requirement has real exemptions. They include pregnant individuals and people with a serious mental illness, a substance use disorder, or conditions such as cancer, HIV or AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. If one of those applies to you, the hours rule should not.

ARHOME is the current version of Arkansas's expansion, which succeeded the earlier Arkansas Works program. The coverage itself is the same broad Medicaid benefit, delivered through private plans.

Apply through Access Arkansas, and keep your contact information current so notices about the coming work requirement reach you. While an application processes, 2-1-1 can point you to community health centers.