Ark. Code Ann. § 23-61-1002: Legislative intent

Notwithstanding any general or specific laws to the contrary, it is the intent of the General Assembly for the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Program to be a fiscally sustainable, cost-effective, and opportunity-driven program that:

(1) Achieves comprehensive and innovative healthcare reform that reduces the rate of growth in state and federal obligations for providing healthcare coverage to low-income adults in Arkansas;

(2) Reduces the maternal and infant mortality rates in the state through initiatives that promote healthy outcomes for eligible women with high-risk pregnancies;

(3) Promotes the health, welfare, and stability of mothers and their infants after birth through hospital-based community bridge organizations;

(4) Encourages personal responsibility for individuals to demonstrate that they value healthcare coverage and understand their roles and obligations in maintaining private insurance coverage;

(5) Increases opportunities for full-time work and attainment of economic independence, especially for certain young adults, to reduce long-term poverty that is associated with additional risk for disease and premature death;

(6) Addresses health-related social needs of Arkansans in rural counties through hospital-based community bridge organizations and reduces the additional risk for disease and premature death associated with living in a rural county;

(7) Strengthens the financial stability of the critical access hospitals and other small, rural hospitals; and

(8) Fills gaps in the continuum of care for individuals in need of services for serious mental illness and substance use disorders.