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Marshallese community vulnerable as Medicaid coverage cut across Arkansas

Medicaid benefits given to the Marshallese community during COVID-19 could be removed before they can even reapply.

ARKANSAS, USA — During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marshallese community in Arkansas was able to receive health benefits like Medicaid. However, officials are saying Arkansas is moving "as fast as possible" to kick off ineligible recipients—leaving a question mark for a vulnerable community heavily centralized in the Northwest Arkansas area.

Compacts of Free Association (COFA) is defined as an agreement to safeguard American interests in the Indo-Pacific region covering citizens of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Citizens from those regions were able to live and work in America without a visa and have certain health benefits until a 1996 welfare reform law stopped most federal benefits from being available to COFA citizens.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, those federal benefits like Medicaid were restored, heavily impacting the Marshallese communities in Northwest Arkansas which saw several severe outbreaks of the virus.

According to the Associated Press, reports are already rolling in of people across Arkansas—not just COPA citizens— being erroneously kicked off Medicaid.

"The notices are so confusing," Trevor Hawkins told the AP. Hawkins works for Legal Aid of Arkansas, a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans. "No two people have had the same experience with losing their coverage. It’s hard to identify what’s really the issue.”

Some people have been mailed pre-populated application forms that include inaccurate income or household information but leave Medicaid enrollees no space to fix the state's errors. 

Others have received documents that say Medicaid recipients will lose their coverage before they've even had an opportunity to re-apply, Hawkins said. A spokesman for Arkansas' Department of Human Services said the forms instruct enrollees to fill in their information.

While Arkansans and the Marshallese community are vulnerable to effectively losing health insurance after the statewide review, Congressman Steve Womack and Sen. John Boozman are co-sponsoring a bill in the House that would restore federal benefits to COFA citizens legally living in the U.S.

“Marshallese families are an integral part of Arkansas. Across the nation, COFA citizens support U.S. defense efforts, pay taxes, and are core elements of our economy and communities. It has long been a priority of mine to address the host of unintended barriers these lawful residents face under the law. This legislation is important to that mission. By instituting another technical fix, we are restoring access to the care and services they are entitled to and upholding our commitments to critical security partners,” Congressman Womack said.

Melisa Laelan, who is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Coalition of the Marshallese said the passing of the bill would help ensure healthcare for the communities. "It will fix injustices that we have faced over a 25-year period. We applaud the work that Rep. Steve Womack and Senator Boozman have done to ensure COFA receives fairness and equitable access to programs that we pay into. This is another chance to better lives for many COFA migrants.”

The bill was last referred to committee on April 5, 2023, in the House of Representatives.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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