The Department of Human Services today released the latest enrollment figures on the private option, the state’s unique plan using Medicaid dollars available via the Affordable Care Act to purchase private health insurance for low-income Arkansans. Through August 31, 205,097 Arkansans have gained coverage. 

Around 10 percent of private option enrollees are deemed “medically frail” based on a pre-enrollment health screener and routed to traditional Medicaid. As you can see from the graphic above (which also shows county by county enrollment, around 194,257 have fully completed enrollment, meaning they are either enrolled in a private plan (172,761) or routed to traditional Medicaid (21,496). Another 10,840 are still being processed and will either be enrolled in a private plan or deemed medically frail and enrolled in Medicaid. In the mean time, they are covered by Medicaid as soon as they’re deemed eligible.  

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Here are the demographics for enrollees, who continue to lean younger than the rest of the Marketplace. 

Gender: 
59 percent female
41 percent male

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Age: 
44 percent are age 19-34. Breaking down further: 

19-25 : 19 percent
26-34 : 25 percent
35-44:  21 percent
45-54:  20 percent
55-64:  14 percent

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Income: 
Below 100 percent federal poverty level: 81 percent
100-138 pecent FPL: 19 pecent