A nationwide PPO is still available through me in Arkansas, and marketplace plans classified as PPOs are priced close to POS coverage. Let's look at how Jonesboro family-business owners can compare these choices for their households.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber. I hold health insurance broker licenses across 36 states, and I help Arkansas company owners arrange family medical coverage from start to finish over the phone.
Consider a family in Northeast Arkansas. The parents own an LLC operating a flooring and countertop showroom along Highland Drive in Jonesboro. One spouse works with customers on design and sales, while the other supervises installations and a small team. Their income depends on construction and renovation demand, creating profitable years followed by slower periods. They have three children, with the oldest preparing to attend Arkansas State. Neither parent currently has employment that provides health benefits, so they insure the entire household through HealthCare.gov.
For 2026, Craighead County residents have access to 52 individual medical plans, the same selection available throughout Arkansas. Of those, 28 are classified as PPOs and 24 as POS plans. The price difference is minimal. A 40-year-old without a subsidy shopping for silver coverage would find the lowest-priced PPO just 3% more expensive than the lowest-priced POS option.
Outside HealthCare.gov, I can help Arkansas families apply for a private nationwide PPO as well. Medical underwriting is handled separately for each family member, and the participating doctor network extends far outside Northeast Arkansas, including Memphis and places your family visits on vacation.
HealthCare.gov is where you must enroll to receive the premium credit. Its value comes from a benchmark silver plan, and choosing a higher-premium option means covering the price difference yourself. In Arkansas, that PPO difference is roughly 3%. A plan classified as a PPO also provides out-of-network benefits, although your share of the bill is higher. That's valuable when a child leaves for college or your family travels across state lines. For households eligible for credits, the marketplace PPO often provides good value.
Next step: Send over last year's tax return and a list of the physicians everyone in your family sees. I'll calculate Craighead County plan premiums after your credit is applied.
If company profits push household income above the credit threshold, every family member faces the full marketplace premium, including this year's rate increase. That's when I'd compare the marketplace PPO with a private nationwide PPO. Private underwriting evaluates each person separately, resulting in approval, approval excluding a listed medical condition, or denial. Families in good health often find private premiums below the marketplace's full price. We'll review coverage benefits for each plan before you make a commitment.
Next step: Call me, and I'll prepare a nationwide PPO quote covering your family and compare it against the marketplace's full, unsubsidized premiums.
If you bring in an employee who isn't related to you and isn't an owner, your company could become eligible for SHOP group insurance through the small-business marketplace. The value of that option depends on the employee and what your business can afford.
Next step: Before your new employee begins working, call me. We'll compare the cost and value of group insurance with the family plans you currently use.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
No. Across Arkansas, the lowest-priced silver PPO carries a premium only 3% higher than the lowest-priced silver POS plan.
According to the Arkansas Insurance Department, approved individual insurance rates increased by a weighted average of 22.2%.
Not through SHOP unless the business employs at least one person who is neither an owner nor a family member.
Yes. I can help healthy Arkansas business owners and their families purchase a nationwide PPO privately, outside HealthCare.gov.
Give me your county, the ages of your family members, an approximate business profit figure and whether either spouse has access to employer group insurance. I'll price marketplace coverage against a private plan and explain which one I'd recommend for your family.
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