Arkansas Medicaid: Eligibility, Income Limits, and How to Apply

Arkansas Medicaid eligibility depends on which group you fall into. Adults aged 19 to 64 qualify through ARHOME if household income is at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, which is roughly $22,025 a year for one person or $45,540 for a family of four in 2026.¹² Children, pregnant women, people 65 and older, and people with disabilities qualify under separate rules with different income (and sometimes asset) limits. The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) runs all of these programs, and one application covers everyone in your household.

Adults 19 to 64

If you’re a non-disabled adult between 19 and 64 and don’t qualify for traditional Medicaid, your path is ARHOME — the state’s version of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The income ceiling is 138% FPL.¹ In 2026 numbers:

One person: about $22,025 per year
Family of four: about $45,540 per year²

Instead of traditional managed care, ARHOME uses federal funds to buy you a private Qualified Health Plan through the state marketplace.¹ You pay no monthly premium. Copays apply to some services at income above 20% FPL, but they’re capped on a sliding quarterly scale that tops out at $163 per quarter for the household.³

Children Under 19

Children qualify through ARKids First, which has two tiers:

ARKids A — full Medicaid coverage for children in households with income up to 142% FPL
ARKids B — coverage with some copayments for households up to 211% FPL⁴

Neither tier has an asset limit. For a family of three in 2026, 142% FPL is roughly $38,795 a year and 211% FPL is roughly $57,645.² A 5% income disregard may apply if the child has existing insurance, effectively lifting those thresholds to 147% and 216% FPL.⁴

Once enrolled, children get 12 months of continuous eligibility — their coverage stays active for the full year even if the family’s income temporarily rises above the limit.⁵ Both tiers allow retroactive coverage for up to three months before the application date, so bills incurred before you applied may be covered.⁴

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women qualify with household income up to 209% FPL, raised effectively to 214% with the 5% income disregard.⁴ There’s no asset test. Coverage includes prenatal care, delivery, postpartum services, and treatment for conditions that complicate the pregnancy.⁶

One limit to plan around: Arkansas ends pregnancy-related Medicaid at the end of the month in which the 60th postpartum day falls.⁶ Most states have extended postpartum coverage to a full 12 months; Arkansas has not done so as of early 2026. If your income qualifies you for ARHOME, you can transition into it to avoid a gap.

Aged, Blind, or Disabled

If you’re 65 or older, blind, or disabled, traditional Medicaid uses both an income test and an asset test. Countable assets are capped at $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple.⁴ Your home, one car, burial spaces, and irrevocable burial arrangements don’t count. Cash, bank balances, stocks, bonds, extra vehicles, and life insurance policies with a cash surrender value above $1,500 do count.⁷

ARSeniors

ARSeniors provides full Medicaid benefits to people 65 or older with income at or below $1,004 per month (single) or $1,362.67 (couple), and resources below $9,660 per individual or $14,470 per couple.⁴ Retroactive coverage can reach three months before the application date.

Medicare Savings Programs

If you’re 65 or older, blind, or disabled and have Medicare, the state’s Medicare Savings Programs help pay Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copays at progressively higher income cutoffs. QMB covers the most costs but has the lowest ceiling ($1,255 per month for an individual), while QI-1 only covers the Part B premium but allows income up to $1,694.25 per month.⁴

ARChoices in Homecare

Adults 21–64 with a physical disability and seniors 65 or older may qualify for ARChoices, a waiver program that delivers services in the home instead of a nursing facility. You need to meet the financial criteria, need at least one available service, and meet the nursing-home level of care standard — meaning you need the kind of ongoing help that would otherwise require a nursing home stay.⁸

Over the Income Limit? The Spend-Down Option

If you earn too much for regular Medicaid but have heavy medical bills, the Medicaid spend-down program lets you subtract unpaid medical expenses from your income to get under the threshold. The threshold is strict — $108.33 per month for one person — so this works mainly for people with very high medical costs relative to income.⁴ Spend-down coverage runs for up to three months at a time, and you have to re-enroll each period.⁹ Your local DHS county office can tell you whether your bills are high enough.

How to Apply

One application covers every family member. You can apply:¹⁰

Online at access.arkansas.gov
By phone at the Access Arkansas Call Center, 1-855-372-1084, or the general line, 1-800-482-8988¹¹
In person or by mail at any local DHS county office

Have these ready: Social Security number or immigration document number, employer and income information such as recent pay stubs or W-2s, and policy numbers for any existing health insurance.¹² DHS verifies your answers against IRS, Social Security, and Department of Homeland Security records. If something doesn’t match, you’ll be asked for extra documentation, which you can upload through the Access Arkansas portal.

Keeping Coverage Once You Qualify

Every recipient has to complete an annual renewal, called a redetermination. DHS reaches out through mail or the Access Arkansas portal; return the requested information by the deadline on the notice.

If you’re on traditional Medicaid or ARKids First-A, report household changes within 10 calendar days — income shifts, a new address, someone moving in or out, a birth, a death.¹³

Miss a renewal and your case closes, but there’s a grace window. Under MAGI-based rules (ARHOME, ARKids, pregnant women), you have 90 days from the closing date to send the missing information and reopen coverage without a new application. Under long-term services and supports rules, the window is 30 days.¹⁴ Miss that too and you start over with a fresh application.

If You’re Denied

The denial letter (a Notice of Action) explains the reason. You have 30 calendar days from the date on it to request an administrative hearing through the DHS Office of Appeals and Hearings.¹⁵ Miss the deadline and the request is denied automatically.

The appeal has to be in writing. DHS assigns a case number, schedules a hearing, and mails you notice of the time, date, and location at least 13 days before. You can bring a representative, but you must give the office that person’s name and contact information at least 10 business days before the hearing. The same 10-business-day notice applies if you need an interpreter. If you don’t appear within 15 minutes of the scheduled time (in person or by phone), the appeal is treated as abandoned and can be reopened only if you can show you tried to attend but couldn’t due to circumstances beyond your control.¹⁶

1
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Summary
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
3
Arkansas Insurance Department. Plan Management Frequently Asked Questions – Calendar Year 2026
4
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Health Care Eligibility – Quick Reference
5
Medicaid.gov. Continuous Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP Coverage
6
Legal Information Institute / Cornell Law School. 016.28.22 Ark. Code R. 008 – Expansion of Pregnant Women Medicaid
7
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Quick Reference Medicaid Chart 1.24
8
Arkansas Department of Human Services. ARChoices in Homecare
9
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Frequently Asked Questions
10
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Apply For Services – Health Care, SNAP, and TEA
11
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Hotlines
12
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Household Health Coverage Application
13
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Your Responsibilities
14
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Cover Arkansas – If You Have Lost Health Care Coverage
15
Arkansas Department of Human Services. File an Appeal
16
Department of Human Services (DHS). Appeals and Hearings Procedures