§ 23-79-501 — Purpose

(a) (1) Acts 1995, No. 1339, established the Arkansas Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool as a state program that was intended to provide an alternate market for health insurance for certain uninsurable Arkansas residents, and further this subchapter is intended to provide for the successor entity that will provide the acceptable alternative mechanism as described in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 for providing portable and accessible individual health insurance coverage for federally eligible individuals as defined in this subchapter. (2) This subchapter further is intended to provide a health insurance coverage option for persons eligible for a federal income tax credit under section 35 of the Internal Revenue Code, as created by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 or as subsequently amended. (b) The General Assembly declares that it intends for this program to provide portable and accessible individual health insurance coverage for every individual who qualifies for coverage in accordance with § 23-79-509(b) as a federally eligible individual or as a qualified trade adjustment assistance eligible person but does not intend for every eligible person who qualifies for pool coverage in accordance with § 23-79-509 to be guaranteed a right to be issued a policy under this pool as a matter of entitlement.

Legislative History

Acts 1997, No. 292, § 2; 2003, No. 1327, § 1.