April 11, 2016 Press Releases

U.S. Senate Candidate Eldridge Commends Gov. Hutchison And State Lawmakers On ‘Arkansas Works’


by Conner for Arkansas

U.S. Senate Candidate Eldridge Commends Gov. Hutchison And State Lawmakers On 'Arkansas Works'

LITTLE ROCK – Former prosecutor and U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge, who is running for the U.S. Senate, today commended Governor Asa Hutchinson and members of the Arkansas House and Senate, specifically House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, House Minority Leader Michael John Gray and Senate Minority Leader Keith Ingram, for their leadership in continuing the Private Option's private health insurance coverage for 267,000 working Arkansans, now called Arkansas Works. Governor Hutchinson signed the bipartisan legislation into law last week.

“I again call on Senator Boozman to join me and the overwhelming number of state legislators from both parties in pledging to support Arkansas Works. Because both parties did the right thing by coming together and putting people over politics, more than 250,000 working Arkansans will continue to have affordable private health insurance,” said Eldridge. “Senator Boozman’s comments, in which he said he has 'no qualms' about ending private health insurance for over a quarter of a million people, show how out of touch he has become with working families in Arkansas who are struggling to make ends meet. We desperately need leadership that is willing to put the people of Arkansas first, which is why I am committed to being a strong, new voice and a fierce advocate for all Arkansans.”

There are currently over 250,000 Arkansans enrolled in the Private Option, now called Arkansas Works, which has led to Arkansas’s uninsured rate falling from 22.5 to 9.1 percent since 2013.

"Senator Boozman, it is not too late for you to be a constructive part of this process," said Eldridge. "I urge you to unequivocally state your support for funding the Arkansas Works program in Arkansas. This is a critical week for the future of this program, which is vital to the health care of hundreds of thousands of Arkansans."

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