“Medicaid is essential to a healthy Arkansas workforce,” advocates told reporters at a Wednesday press conference highlighting the impact of Medicaid programs on working families.
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, and the Arkansas Education Association joined forces in advance of Labor day weekend to share testimonies of Arkansans who rely on Medicaid to balance their family and work lives while staying healthy.
April Reisma is the president of the Arkansas Education Association and a special education teacher at Robinson Middle School. Speaking about her experience as a teacher, Reisma said people making decisions about Medicaid need to consider the impact of their policies on working families.
“We have classified workers in our schools that struggle with low wages and will continue to do so with no relief coming soon,” Reisma said. “These folks are essential to our workforce and to the education of our students, and they rely on these services to be able to remain healthy and ready for the workforce.”
Kimberly Bajedo is a mom of six and works as a substitute teacher in Little Rock. Speaking at Wednesday's press conference, she said Medicaid helps her care for her kids, three of whom have sickle cell disease, without worrying about the cost of medical bills.
“It empowers me to know that I don’t need to make that hard choice at times between ‘do I put food on the table?’ or my son is hurting and I need to take him in.”
Bajedo is insured through the Parent/Caretaker Medicaid program. She said the program allows her to keep her job as a substitute teacher, which has flexible hours but an insufficient health insurance policy.
“Arkansas Medicaid gives me the opportunity as caregiver to make sure I’m not having to decide between making sure I stay healthy and in my best shape to be able to take care of my children.” Bajedo said.
Nearly one-third of Arkansans are covered by Medicaid, and 53% of those people are working, according to an August 2024 fact sheet from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Keesa Smith, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, says those statistics mean Medicaid is vital to the state’s economy.
“These are folks that work part time, they’re students, or they work at a job that doesn’t offer healthcare insurance, and many folks know that because their job doesn’t offer insurance,” Smith said. “So Medicaid provides an opportunity for folks to stay healthy and to continue to go to work everyday, which is what we want.”
