Arkansas Insurance Department

The Arkansas Insurance Department, a U.S. state government entity headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a federal grant recipient that operates Medicare enrollment assistance and senior health insurance counseling programs funded exclusively through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living. The entity does not compete for federal contracts or IDVs; all federal activity is grants-based, with the department serving as the prime recipient on 51 grants spanning CFDA programs 93.071 (Medicare Enrollment Assistance Program), senior Medicare patrol fraud prevention, and women's health access initiatives.

The Arkansas Insurance Department operates the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (AR SHIIP), which has been continuously funded by HHS since at least 2009. The program delivers one-on-one Medicare counseling, enrollment assistance for Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy and Medicare Savings Programs, community outreach campaigns, and benefits education to Arkansas' Medicare population of approximately 654,597 beneficiaries. The department staffs certified counselors and leverages a statewide network of volunteers and vendor partners to deliver these services. Recent representative grants include two formula grants under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) awarded September 1, 2026, for Medicare enrollment assistance ($234,440 and $350,704, respectively, running through August 31, 2028); a cooperative agreement effective April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2028, for continued AR SHIIP operations; and a multi-year cooperative agreement (June 1, 2023, through May 31, 2028) for the Senior Medicare Patrol State Project, which focuses on empowering beneficiaries to detect and report healthcare fraud through education and counseling.

All customer activity concentrates with HHS. The Administration for Community Living anchors the majority of awards (24 formula grants and cooperative agreements under MIPPA and SHIIP programs), while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued 18 additional grants related to Medicare enrollment assistance and healthcare access initiatives. Eight grants (combined obligated value across the portfolio totals $74.5 million) reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, triggering annual recompete cycles typical of HHS formula grant distributions. The department receives no subcontract work and does not function as a prime on any federal contracts, IDVs, BPAs, or GWACs; its entire federal footprint is grant-based, non-competitive formula distribution to state agencies operating Medicare counseling and fraud-prevention programs.