What the insurance company does not want you to know about this is: No - if you were hurt in the course of your job in Arkansas, workers' compensation is primary, not your personal health insurance.

Arkansas law requires the employer's workers' compensation carrier to furnish reasonably necessary medical treatment for a compensable work injury. That is under Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-508. Your boss does not get to shift a work injury onto your private insurance just because it is cheaper for the company.

That matters in Little Rock cases. If a construction worker is injured after a work-related vehicle crash on I-40 in dense river-valley fog, or is taken to UAMS Medical Center, the claim is still a workers' comp claim if the injury happened in the course and scope of employment.

A few Arkansas-specific rules trip people up:

• You should report the injury immediately to the employer.
• The employer should give you Form AR-N, which explains your rights under the Arkansas workers' compensation system.
• Medical treatment usually must be through the employer-authorized doctor unless it is an emergency.
• To formally preserve the claim, the deadline is generally 2 years from the date of injury or 1 year from the last payment of compensation, whichever applies, under Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-702.

Your personal health insurer may refuse to pay once it learns the condition is work-related. If it pays first, it may seek reimbursement later.

Workers' comp in Arkansas also covers more than hospital bills. If a doctor takes you completely off work, you may qualify for temporary total disability benefits, usually after the statutory waiting period. The claim is administered through the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission, not your employer's HR department.