Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
Florida is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $789/month for the median Silver plan, versus $828 — a difference of $39/month (5%) before subsidies.
| Florida | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $789 | $828 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $554 | $753 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $2,203 | $879 |
| Age 27 | $454 | $617 |
| Age 60 | $1,177 | $1,599 |
| Carriers | 15 | 4 |
| Counties | 67 | 75 |
| 1-carrier counties | 1 | 0 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO | POS, PPO |
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits; not a quote or an offer of coverage.
This page sets two states against each other. For county-by-county carriers, plan data and help actually enrolling, I publish a page for each state on Coverage by County: Florida or Arkansas. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Change the age or income and both states recalculate: the 2027 marketplace price after any tax credit, and the private plan estimate.
| Monthly, age 45, $85,000 | Florida | Arkansas |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace benchmark Silver, full price | $852 | $927 |
| Tax credit | none | none |
| You pay for the benchmark plan | $852 | $927 |
| Private plan estimate (low end: no deductible) | $365–$515 | $350–$505 |
At 45 on $85,000, the benchmark plan costs $900 a year more in Arkansas than in Florida, at full price in both, since that income is over the tax-credit line.
2027 estimates: KFF 2026 benchmark raised by each state’s average 2027 change, on the federal age curve; 2027 tax credit rules. Your county will differ. Every state at once: what you would pay in each state.
Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to a licensed agent — not a call center.
You do not have to wait for the next open enrollment. A permanent move between these two opens a 60-day special enrollment period from the day you arrive, which is the window in which you would pick from the 4 carriers writing across Arkansas’s 75 counties. Watch the fine print: qualifying coverage for at least one day in the preceding 60 is generally required, and a move for medical care or a vacation does not count.
There is no transfer to request. Florida coverage stops, Arkansas coverage starts, and the premium is rebuilt from your new county rather than carried over.
The carrier lists do not intersect — 15 in Florida, 4 in Arkansas, none shared. Expect to start a relationship with a new insurer, likely one of Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness and Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
PPO availability is total on both sides, 67 counties in Florida and 75 in Arkansas. If you expect to keep needing care in both, that plan type is the reason this pairing is more workable than most.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from Florida the Arkansas care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from Arkansas.
Picking between Florida and Arkansas on the headline number is a mistake. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you what is actually filed for you.
★★★★★
“I run my own business and my time is valuable. Daniel handled everything — compared the private options, explained what I was actually getting, and had me covered fast. Way better experience than trying to navigate it myself.”