Open enrollment for 2027 opened November 1, 2026, and the four companies selling Marketplace plans in Arkansas have final rates. Final changes to Arkansas health insurance rates run from 2.32% to 14.34%, and three of the four are under 10%, including 6.45% for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. But the percentage is the least useful number on this page. Two plan lines are not coming back. A big Little Rock hospital system is out of the Blue Cross networks. And for most Marketplace buyers, the tax credit moves the bill far more than the rate does.
What each Arkansas carrier got for 2027
Each company came in below what it first asked for, and Arkansas Blue Cross sits near the low end.
These figures come from the federal Rate Review system, where every Arkansas individual filing for 2027 now shows a status of Final with a final rate. The Arkansas Insurance Department reviews the filings, and its own 2027 rate file shows the plans and prices that go with them.
What each number covers. Each percentage is the average change across that company’s individual plans, on and off the Marketplace. It is not the change on any one plan. The Arkansas Blue Cross filing says its own plans range from a small cut to an increase of about 20%. Every final figure came in below what the company first asked for.
Why some companies show two numbers. Arkansas Blue Cross and QCA Health Plan each have a second 2027 filing, and QualChoice Life and Health filed for small groups only. Those are small employer group filings, not individual plans, so they are left out of this table. They are covered further down, with the other employer filings.
Texas, Arizona and Alabama have their own final 2027 numbers.
Every 2027 Arkansas individual-market final rate, highest to lowest
| Carrier | Final change |
|---|---|
| QCA Health Plan, which sells as Ambetter from Arkansas Health and Wellness | 14.34% |
| HMO Partners, which sells as Health Advantage | 9.98% |
| USAble Mutual, which sells as Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield | 6.45% |
| USAble HMO, which sells as Octave | 2.32% |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Final rates. Every filing shows a status of Final in the federal Rate Review system, with the final rate shown here. Each figure is an average across that company’s individual plans on and off the Marketplace. Source: ratereview.healthcare.gov, Arkansas, 2027, individual market.
- Why QCA’s number is the highest. Its filing says claims in 2025 ran to 108% of the premium it took in, and that the change applies to about 37,079 people.
- Arkansas Blue Cross sits near the low end. Its 6.45% covers 107,724 people in its individual plans, per its filing.
- We are not publishing a statewide average. Without member counts for every company, an average would look more exact than it is.
The honest number is the range: 2.32% to 14.34%, not an average. Highlighted: QCA is flagged because its filing reports 2025 claims above the premium it collected, which pushes its number up.
Your tax credit is the bigger number
For nearly nine in ten Arkansas buyers, the credit sets the bill, not the rate.
In 2026 the average Arkansas Marketplace plan cost $839 a month before the credit and $162 after it. About 87% of buyers got a credit, and 28% paid $10 a month or less. Those are federal figures from the 2026 open enrollment.
Your credit is tied to a benchmark plan, the second-cheapest silver plan available to you. It resets every year. When rates rise, the benchmark usually rises too, and the credit generally grows with it. So a 10% rate change can land as a much smaller change on your actual bill, though that depends on how the benchmark plan where you live moves.
The exception is income above 400% of the federal poverty level. For 2027 coverage that is about $63,840 for one person. Above that line there is no credit, and the full price is yours. The math is in how your income estimate affects your subsidy.
One more Arkansas fact: a Marketplace plan costs the same in every county. A 40-year-old in Little Rock, Fayetteville or Fort Smith (Pulaski, Washington and Sebastian counties) sees the same price for the same plan. There is more on how much health insurance costs in Arkansas on our state page.
| Age | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | $352 | $562 | $515 |
| 40 | $450 | $718 | $659 |
| 60 | $955 | $1,525 | $1,399 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Full price, before any credit. The lowest plan at each level costs the same in all seven Arkansas rating areas. Source: Arkansas Insurance Department, Compare 2027 Individual Rates, rates by region file. At every age the lowest Bronze-level plan is an Expanded Bronze plan.
Two plan lines end, so those members have to choose
If your card says Celtic or QualChoice Life and Health, your 2026 plan does not carry into 2027.
Two companies that sold Marketplace plans in Arkansas for 2026 are not selling them for 2027. One is Celtic Insurance Company, which underwrote some Ambetter plans. The other is QualChoice Life and Health. Neither has a 2027 individual filing in the federal Rate Review system. Insurance Commissioner Jimmy Harris told KATV that Centene has “removed Ambetter and QualChoice Life and Health, but they still have QCA Health Plan.”
That is why the Ambetter name still shows up for 2027. Those plans now come from QCA Health Plan, and their names include “(QualChoice)”. Same brand on the card, different company behind it. Do not assume your doctors or drugs carry over.
In central Arkansas, check your hospital before the price
A plan that leaves out your hospital can cost you more than any rate increase.
Since September 1, 2026, CHI St. Vincent has been out of network for Arkansas Blue Cross, Health Advantage and Octave. That covers three of the four Marketplace companies. Per the Arkansas Blue Cross notice, it affects four hospitals: CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood (both Pulaski County), CHI St. Vincent Morrilton (Conway County) and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs (Garland County). About 80 clinics and more than 300 employed providers are affected too. As of October 31, 2026, the dispute was still unresolved.
The dispute does not involve QCA Health Plan, but that does not mean a QCA plan includes your doctors. Check any plan by name before you switch.
If you pay full price, look past Silver
At full price, the cheapest Gold plan beats the cheapest Silver at every age in our table.
Look at the table above. At every age, the lowest Gold premium is below the lowest Silver one. That is on purpose. The state tells insurers to load an extra cost onto Marketplace Silver plans, a factor of 1.29 under its revised Bulletin 6-2026. If you get a credit, that load can help you. If you pay full price, it means Gold often gives you more coverage for less.
Healthy households above $63,840 for one person can also price short-term plans. Arkansas law lets a first term run just under 12 months, and total coverage can reach 36 months, but renewal is not guaranteed and many plans ask health questions again at each new term. These plans are not ACA coverage. They do not cover pre-existing conditions, meaning any illness or injury you had, or were treated for, before the plan starts. Your health history affects whether a plan is issued and which claims are paid. Read the tradeoffs on our short-term plans page and the short-term and private plan section of our Arkansas page.
Employer plans have their own 2027 rates
Small businesses buy from a separate pool, and five filings set the 2027 changes there.
These are the second filings some readers will spot in the federal data. They apply to employers with up to 50 workers. They do not touch Marketplace prices. All five show a status of Final. If you run a small business, our Arkansas group coverage section covers how to shop a renewal.
2027 Arkansas small group final rates, highest to lowest
| Carrier | Final change |
|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of the River Valley | 11.73% |
| USAble Mutual, which sells as Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield | 9.41% |
| UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company | 9.04% |
| QualChoice Life and Health Insurance Company | 7.14% |
| QCA Health Plan | 7.03% |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Small group, not individual. These apply to employers with up to 50 workers and are sold off the Marketplace. Your group’s own change depends on its plan and renewal date. Source: ratereview.healthcare.gov, Arkansas, 2027.
What to do now that open enrollment is open
Start with your plan line and your hospital, then let the credit settle the price.
The dates. Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Pick a plan by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1. Plans picked after that start February 1. Our Arkansas page has the rest.
- Read your renewal notice for the company name. Celtic and QualChoice Life and Health plans end, so those members need a new plan.
- Name your hospital and your doctors. If you use CHI St. Vincent, check every plan by name.
- Update your 2027 income estimate on HealthCare.gov, then compare the net price, not the rate.
- If you get no credit, price Gold before you default to Silver. If you also price a short-term plan, remember it is not ACA coverage and does not cover pre-existing conditions.