Museum of Black Arkansans and Performing Arts Center

• PayIt , the leader in digital customer experience solutions with integrated payments for state, local, and provincial governments, is pleased to announce that Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has upgraded its electronic licensing system to PayIt Outdoors’ Conservation Outdoor Recreation & Engagement (CORE) platform.
• The upgraded AGFC licensing system offers customers one streamlined digital platform for many transactional services, including purchasing hunting and fishing licenses, reporting harvests, and finding local events.
• The upgraded system and introduction of a mobile app and customer relationship management system will enable AGFC to deliver a better customer experience and improved communication about licenses, permits, game checking, merchandise, and outdoor recreation in Arkansas.
• Multiple commission divisions will have access to the platform so that staff across the agency can continue to improve the customer experience.

• LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Dental of Arkansas has emerged as the only company named each year among the Best Places to Work in Arkansas since the recognition program began in 2013.
• Its inclusion in the just-released 2023 survey conducted by Arkansas Business Publishing Group and Workforce Research Group marks Delta Dental's 11th consecutive award.
• The largest provider of dental benefits in the state, Delta Dental of Arkansas is a purpose-driven company.
• Delta Dental of Arkansas aims to provide a rewarding, joyful and inclusive place of employment.

• The Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation launches its annual signature grant program to support new or existing programs that provide oral health education, dental disease treatment or preventive oral care.
• Applications for Community Grant amounts ranging from $2,500 to $40,000 are accepted from June 19 through Aug. 18, 2023, at https://www.deltadentalar.com/2024-community-grants .
• "The Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation is committed to closing oral health equity gaps by partnering with organizations working to do just that," said Sharon Lanier, Ph.D., executive director of the Foundation.
• "Our grants fund community-focused oral health projects that help reduce tooth decay, gum disease and other dental health issues for Arkansans who experience barriers to accessing dental care.

• One important measure in the Republican-backed bill would restrict access to Medicaid for millions of Americans.
• About 1 in 4 Americans have health coverage through the program, which primarily serves low-income and disabled people and which is funded jointly by the federal government and the states.
• The Conversation asked Simon F. Haeder, a public health scholar, to explain what the proposed work requirements would do and why the Republican effort to institute them matters for the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid.

What would change if this policy took effect?

• The package the House recently passed would require all states to implement this policy.
• An estimated 15 million Americans with Medicaid would need to comply with the requirements.
• This change would dramatically increase bureaucratic hassles for Medicaid beneficiaries who are disproportionately low-income, disabled and nonwhite.

Are there precedents for this policy?

• The Trump administration worked with various Republican-led states to use what are known as 1115 demonstration waivers for that purpose.
• These waivers allow states to make temporary changes to their Medicaid programs that depart from certain statutory requirements.
• The Arkansas experience, which was particularly burdensome for beneficiaries, reaffirmed many concerns of those who oppose work requirements.

What would be different this time?

• That meant that Medicaid beneficiaries in states with Democratic leadership, such as California, were unlikely to ever confront them.
• The proposed changes in the House legislation would force all states to implement work requirements for adults from 18 to 55 without dependents.
• The proposed changes would also circumvent many of the legal concerns that previously prevented the widespread implementation of Medicaid work requirements.

Is this policy compatible with the purpose of Medicaid?

• The point of Medicaid has always been providing eligible low-income people with access to comprehensive health coverage for as long as they need it.
• That is, Medicaid is exclusively a health insurance program.
• If you have an illness, it can be much easier to stay on the job if you’re getting the treatment your condition requires.

Why is this significant?

• It seems unlikely that Medicaid work requirements will become law in 2023 or 2024, because Democrats have steadfastly opposed their implementation and the party commands a majority in the Senate.
• However, given the potentially dramatic implications of defaulting on the federal debt, some Democrats may be willing to compromise.