In Arkansas, ‘Digital Redlining’ Could Leave Thousands Without Health Care
“In order to stay eligible for Medicaid, Arkansas’s recipients must report their working hours each month, and it must be done online—the state doesn’t offer a way to do it via mail, telephone, or in person. This stings especially hard in Arkansas, which ranks 48th in the country for internet access. According to BroadbandNow, 30 percent of the state’s population has access to fewer than two internet providers. An estimated 20 percent have only a smart phone for internet access at home. And in a state where 17 percent of residents live below the poverty line—ranked 44th in the country—even those with access might not be able to afford it.”