Gaps in health outcomes between AR counties persist; a look at long-acting reversible contraception

The health of Arkansans varies significantly depending on where in the state they live, according to the 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report. The annual report, which provides overall health scores for counties based on health outcomes and health factors, reveals ongoing gaps between urban and rural regions in Arkansas. The highest-ranked counties are in Northwest and Central Arkansas, and the lowest-ranked counties are in the Arkansas Delta.

The report ranks Benton, Washington, and Faulkner counties as first, second, and third, respectively, in terms of overall health outcomes in Arkansas. The lowest-ranked counties are Monroe (73rd), Lee (74th) and Phillips (75th), and other Delta counties also tend to rank below counties in different parts of the state.?

The 2024 report also provides comparisons between Arkansas and the U.S. for each measure. Arkansas’s health outcomes are less favorable than the nation’s in every measure in this year’s report.

Women’s Health

Despite increasing access to contraception, the U.S. has persistently high rates of unintended pregnancies and pregnancies conceived within 18 months of a previous birth. One strategy to increase the rate of intentional pregnancy is the use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), which offers long-lasting pregnancy prevention via two methods: intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants.

Our new explainer covers how LARC works, evidence of effectiveness, health plan coverage and reimbursement, and other policy issues.

Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans are heavily marketed during open enrollment and can attract enrollees by offering benefits not covered by traditional Medicare, such as vision, hearing, and dental services. In a guest column for Talk Business & Politics , ACHI Health Policy Director Craig Wilson discusses what Medicare Advantage is, how it differs from the traditional program, and why it is growing in both enrollment and controversy.

From Our CEO

Tennessee is one of 10 states that still have not adopted Medicaid expansion. In a guest column for The Tennessean , ACHI President and CEO Joseph W. Thompson, MD, MPH discusses what Arkansas’s innovative Medicaid expansion program has meant for the state and why it might be seen as a possible model for states such as Tennessee.

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Dr. Joe Thompson, ACHI president and CEO