Open enrollment for next year's Affordable Care Act marketplace plans started Sunday. According to the Arkansas Department of Insurance, 131,018 people in Arkansas were enrolled in marketplace plans as of Oct. 1, down 14.4% from 153,105 in October 2025.
Insurers offering marketplace plans in Arkansas have proposed rate increases for 2027 ranging from 3.1% to 15.9%. If the companies held the same relative market share as last year, the average increase would be about 8.8%, according to the state. A KFF analysis published Friday found that silver plan premiums across the U.S. will rise on average by about 13% next year.
Meredith Martin-Moats, 49, who lives near Dardanelle, said her plan's 2026 premium rose from about $130 to over $500 per month. She and her husband switched to a plan with a lower premium but higher deductible and copays. Martin-Moats said she is "definitely worried" about costs rising further in 2027. Nationally, KFF data showed enrollment in individual health plans was down 18% in June from a year earlier, a decline that coincided with the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits.