Ranked 14 of 15 states · median $828/mo · CMS PY2026
Prefer to talk? Call (713) 575-9904
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States
A 40-year-old real estate agent in Arkansas pays a median $828/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 14th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $753 from Octave in Arkansas. On counties covered, Arkansas ranks 9 of 15 for this occupation.
Work that crosses county and state lines makes network geography the binding constraint. A cheap HMO that only contracts in one metro is worthless 200 miles away, so these pages rank states by network reach and flag the ones with no PPO on the exchange at all.
Occupational context: High driving exposure; irregular hours; showing-related risk.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Arkansas exchange plan has been guaranteed issue and community rated: same age, same ZIP, same tobacco status means the same filed premium whether you are a real estate agent or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area rather than by county, so counties in the same area price identically. Six counties from across Arkansas, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Hempstead | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Johnson | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Lonoke | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Nevada | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Polk | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
All six fall in the same rating area, so they price identically at $753. Statewide the range still runs $753 to $879. Coverage by County publishes all 75 Arkansas counties individually.
| Arkansas — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 75 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | POS, PPO |
| PPO available on exchange | Yes |
| Carriers filing in the state | 4 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $753 — Arkansas |
Arkansas has PPO plans available. For a real estate agent covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 75 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 3,900 plan records across 75 Arkansas counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Utah ($805), Texas ($807), North Carolina ($828). More expensive: Nebraska ($875).
Side-by-side: Arkansas vs Texas · Arkansas vs North Carolina · Arkansas vs Nebraska
A caveat on the table above: rating is by residence, not by job site. A real estate agent living in Arkansas and working across a state line still buys Arkansas plans. A genuine permanent move does trigger a special enrollment period, but the plan year restarts with a fresh deductible.
If you file a Schedule C as a real estate agent, the categories that usually show up are: Vehicle, licensing, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing. The health premium itself is normally an above-the-line deduction under IRC §162(l), which reduces AGI rather than requiring you to itemize. Your CPA should confirm it against your actual situation.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Arkansas is $753 per month from Octave, with a state median of $828. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Arkansas uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: POS, PPO.
Arkansas ranks 14 of 15 states covered here, at a median $828 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation is below the cliff in all 20 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Real Estate Sales Agents (SOC 41-9022) in Arkansas. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed real estate agent. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Arkansas specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Real Estate Agents in Arkansas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Arkansas has 4 carriers filing across 75 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for a real estate agent buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 Arkansas premium yet. Filings nationally cluster around a 15% median increase, with the full spread running −1% to 54% — and until this state signs off, a specific local number is invention.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, Arkansas included. Conflicting end dates get quoted because a 2025 rule shortened the window and a court vacated it in June 2026, appeal pending — enrol by the 15th and the argument is irrelevant to you.
All 75 counties in Arkansas sell a PPO, which is unusual and useful. For a real estate agent covering ground, it is the plan type that travels best.
Nothing about 2027 is urgent yet, which is exactly why it is worth ten minutes now. Come November you will be choosing between Arkansas’s carriers under a deadline; today you can do it without one.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Most Real Estate Agents here are buying their own coverage without an employer. One ZIP is all I need to show you what is available in your part of Arkansas.