Arkansas · 2026 plan year

Gold health insurance plans in Arkansas (2026)

There are 18 Gold plans on the Arkansas Marketplace from 4 insurers, and they are not interchangeable — premiums run from $506 to $630 a month for the same metal tier. Here is what separates them.

18
Gold plans
4
Insurers
Statewide
Counties covered
$506
Cheapest premium
$2,000
Median deductible
These are benchmark premiums, not your price. Every dollar figure here is the individual rate at age 21 for a non-tobacco user, before any premium tax credit — the standard way plans are compared like for like. What you actually pay depends on your age, county, household and income. Estimate your real cost.

One carrier files 67% of Arkansas's Gold plans.

Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness accounts for 12 of the 18 Gold plans in Arkansas. A long plan list can look like a wide choice while most of it resolves to one network and one formulary — worth knowing before you treat plan count as a measure of competition.

Arkansas Gold premiums rank 19th cheapest of 35.

Averaged across all 18 plans, Gold coverage in Arkansas costs $560 a month before subsidies — 19th lowest of the 35 states with federal-marketplace data. Premiums vary far more by county and age than this single number suggests.

Metal tiers describe roughly what share of covered costs a plan pays, not the quality of its care or network. How the metal tiers actually differ walks through the trade, and how ACA subsidies work explains why the prices below are rarely what anyone pays.

Cost

What a Gold plan costs in Arkansas in 2026

Across all 18 Gold plans in Arkansas, monthly premiums run from $506 to $630, averaging $560. Those are age-21, non-tobacco rates before any subsidy — the basis every figure on this page uses, and rarely what anyone actually pays. Premium tax credits cut that bill for most Arkansas enrollees, often to a fraction of the sticker price.

Deductibles

Gold plan deductibles in Arkansas

Gold deductibles in Arkansas run from $0 to $5,900, with a median of $2,000 across all 18 plans — the amount you pay yourself before the plan starts sharing most costs. The median is the closest thing to a typical plan; the mean sits at $1,706 because the spread is not symmetric. Some Arkansas Gold plans file a $0 deductible and charge copays from the first visit instead, which is what pulls the low end of that range to zero. No single figure is a quote — the table below shows the real deductible on each of the cheapest plans, and the insurer breakdown shows how the range splits by carrier.

Out-of-pocket maximum

Gold out-of-pocket maximums in Arkansas

Individual out-of-pocket maximums on Arkansas Gold plans run from $5,800 to $8,200, with a median of $7,850. That is the ceiling on what a plan can make you pay in a year for covered in-network care — after you reach it, the plan pays 100% of covered services. It is the number that matters most in a bad year, and the top of the range here is set by the federal limit that applies to every Marketplace plan, not by the insurer.

Lowest premiums

The cheapest Gold plans in Arkansas

Showing 5 of 18. See all Arkansas Gold plans →

Who sells here

Gold plans by insurer

InsurerGold plansCheapestTier averageDeductible range
Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness12$524$570$0–$2,000
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield2$521$541$0–$2,000
Health Advantage2$525$548$2,000–$3,900
Octave2$506$527$2,000–$5,900
Other tiers in Arkansas

How Gold compares to the rest

All ArkansasMarketplace plans →

Nearby on price

States with similar Gold premiums

Common questions

Arkansas Gold plans, answered

What are the copays on Arkansas Gold plans?
Copays vary plan by plan rather than by tier — the metal level sets roughly what share of total care costs the plan covers, not the individual amounts. What the tier does bound is the rest of the cost-sharing: across the 18 Gold plans in Arkansas, out-of-pocket maximums run $5,800 to $8,200, and deductibles on all 18 plans run $0 to $5,900. Open any plan below to see its full cost-sharing schedule, including primary care, specialist and prescription tiers.
Who is eligible for a Gold plan in Arkansas?
Any Arkansas Marketplace shopper can choose Gold. It suits people who expect steady ongoing care, since the higher premium buys a much lower deductible — a median of $2,000 in this tier. If your income qualifies you for cost-sharing reductions, compare against Silver before deciding, since those only apply to Silver.
What is the deductible on Arkansas Gold plans?
Gold deductibles in Arkansas run from $0 to $5,900 across all 18 plans, with a median of $2,000 — that median is the figure closest to a typical plan. Out-of-pocket maximums run $5,800 to $8,200. The spread inside a single tier is wide, so two plans at a similar premium can differ by thousands in what you would actually pay during a year with significant care. Deductible is usually a better basis for comparison than premium alone.
Are Gold plans available in my Arkansas county?
Gold plans are sold statewide across Arkansas, from 4 insurers. Which specific plans you can buy depends on where you live — a plan offered in a metro county is often not sold in a rural one. Enter your ZIP code to narrow the list to plans actually available to you.
When can I enroll in a Marketplace plan in Arkansas?
Arkansas uses the federal Marketplace, so open enrollment runs November 1 to January 15. Outside that window you need a qualifying life event — losing job-based coverage, moving, marriage, or a birth — to open a special enrollment period. Cheapest Gold premiums in Arkansas start at $506 a month before any subsidy.

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