Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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North Carolina is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $828/month for the median Silver plan, versus $828 — a difference of $0/month (0%) before subsidies.
| North Carolina | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $828 | $828 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $540 | $753 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $1,128 | $879 |
| Age 27 | $443 | $617 |
| Age 60 | $1,147 | $1,599 |
| Carriers | 6 | 4 |
| Counties | 100 | 75 |
| 1-carrier counties | 0 | 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: North Carolina or Arkansas. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Put your ZIP code in and I 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 me — not a call center.
Moving permanently from North Carolina to Arkansas is a qualifying life event, so you get a 60-day special enrollment window counted from the move date — time enough to work through the 4 carriers filing in Arkansas without waiting for open enrollment. Two conditions trip people up: you generally need to have held qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move, and relocating purely for treatment or a holiday will not qualify.
There is no transfer to request. North Carolina coverage stops, Arkansas coverage starts, and the premium is rebuilt from your new county rather than carried over.
There is no overlap to lean on: none of North Carolina’s 6 carriers file in Arkansas, where 4 other insurers write instead. Changing state means changing company.
PPO coverage is patchy: 90 of 100 North Carolina counties and 75 of 75 in Arkansas. Because the PPO is the type most likely to pay out of network, whether one is sold in your particular county matters more here than either state average.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from North Carolina the Arkansas care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from Arkansas.
Picking between North Carolina and Arkansas on the headline number is a mistake. Enter your ZIP and I will show you what is actually filed for you.