skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Arkansas Ranks Near Bottom in Children’s Well-Being

play audio
Play

Tuesday, June 13, 2017   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas is a tough place to grow up, according to an annual report on children's well-being.

For the second consecutive year, Arkansas is ranked 45th among the 50 states in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which examines the condition of children and families in the United States.

In this year's survey, Arkansas placed in the "bottom 10" states for the health, economic well-being, and family and community life of its kids.

Rich Huddleston, executive director, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, says he is troubled by a significant jump in the number of kids living in poverty.

"Ordinarily, we're not too concerned when you slip just a couple places, because of the data, how you rank relative another state," Huddleston says. "But when you slip 11 spots – that really starts to get our attention."

Huddleston says 27 percent of Arkansas kids live below the poverty line, endangering their ability to succeed in life.

The state's highest ranking was in education, where Arkansas was 35th. However, he adds that there is still a pressing need for across-the-board improvements for Arkansas children.

Huddleston adds budget cuts by the Republican-controlled Legislature have crippled many of the programs designed to benefit children. Since 2013, he says, tax cuts have removed more than $300 million from the state's revenues.

"We've really started to see the impact the tax cuts have had, in terms of money in the state budget to invest in kids," he says. "So, whether it's education, healthcare, juvenile justice – all those tax cuts are really limiting the state's ability to invest in things that we know are going to help kids."

Laura Speer, associate director of policy reform and advocacy at the Casey Foundation, points out that nationally, 95 percent of children now have health insurance, a tremendous achievement she says should not be jeopardized.

"This is a real success story, and we want to acknowledge the fact that the country has made a significant investment and that we have the highest percent of kids with health-insurance coverage that we've ever had as a country," Speer says. "And we want to keep those gains."

The report credits parts of the Affordable Care Act, as well as investments in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, for the historic number of kids with health insurance.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021