Ranked 16 of 17 states · median $828/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old speech therapist in Arkansas pays a median $828/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 16th of 17 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $753 from Octave in Arkansas. On median Silver premium, Arkansas ranks 16 of 17 for this occupation.
Patient-facing and on-your-feet work produces steady, predictable claims — routine visits, refills, physical therapy, the occasional urgent care. That profile is decided by copay design and by whether your providers are in network, not by the sticker premium, so carrier count sits alongside cost below.
Occupational context: Vocal strain; infectious exposure in clinical settings.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in Arkansas are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Dallas | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Grant | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Jackson | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Little River | $753 | Octave | $6,000 | 4 |
| Monroe | $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 and cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median Silver premium @40 | $828 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $753 — Octave (Arkansas) |
| Most expensive Silver @40 | $879 |
| Carriers filing in the state | 4 — Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Health Advantage, Octave |
| Plan types available | POS, PPO |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 of 75 |
Arkansas has 4 carriers filing and 0 of 75 counties served by a single issuer. For a speech therapist with an established provider relationship, that carrier count is the number that decides whether you keep your doctor.
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
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Arkansas is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a speech therapist weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Licensing, materials, malpractice insurance, CE. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
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 BLS median wage for Speech-Language Pathologists in Arkansas is $79,800 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $37,100. The middle half earn $61,420 to $110,930, and the top 10% more than $129,830. BLS counts about 2,740 people doing this work for an employer in Arkansas. The self-employed are not in the BLS survey, so this is the going rate for the work, not your own number.
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 16 of 17 states covered here, at a median $828 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Above the cliff. At this income a single-person household receives no premium tax credit for 2027 and pays the full premium.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 22 of the 23 states reported and below it in the other 1, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127) 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 speech therapist. 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 2027 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $63,840 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 Speech Therapists in Arkansas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
The Arkansas market currently runs to 4 carriers over 75 counties. Carriers re-file every year, and for Speech Therapists the question that actually decides your renewal is which of them are still there in November.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Arkansas has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in Arkansas and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
In your favour: PPOs are sold in all 75 Arkansas counties. That is the type most likely to pay toward out-of-network care, and worth defending at renewal if your work as a speech therapist takes you around.
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.
Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will tell you three things:
Rates for Speech Therapists in Arkansas are set by county, not by occupation. Start with your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you the plans actually filed where you live.
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