Arkansas nurses can still get a nationwide PPO through me. The Arkansas marketplace also offers PPO-labeled coverage priced nearly the same as POS plans. Here's how travelers based in Little Rock can compare the two.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber. I'm licensed as a broker in 36 states, and I help travel nurses maintain their own health coverage. Wherever you're assigned, we can handle everything over the phone.
Picture a nurse who was raised in North Little Rock and completed her training there. After working five years on a cardiac floor in Little Rock, she started taking travel contracts but kept her house in the Heights. This year, she spent winter in Albuquerque, spring in Spokane and summer in Savannah, returning home between assignments. Every agency provided insurance only for its contract period. When she searches HealthCare.gov using her Pulaski County home address, she notices something different from the other states she's worked in: PPOs make up the largest share of available plans.
For 2026, Pulaski County residents can choose from 52 individual medical plans, exactly the same selection offered throughout Arkansas. Of those, 28 are classified as PPOs and 24 as POS plans, with no HMOs or EPOs available. And PPO coverage doesn't carry a large price premium. For an unsubsidized 40-year-old shopping silver plans, the PPO costs just 3% more than the lowest-priced POS option.
There's another option I can help you get in Arkansas: a private nationwide PPO. Approval and pricing depend on your health, and the network is designed to include providers in places such as Albuquerque and Spokane. That gives travel nurses two paths worth comparing, a marketplace PPO or private PPO coverage.
Your eligibility for marketplace assistance comes down to your household's income over the entire coverage year, with eligibility extending up to four times the federal poverty level. How many contracts you accept, time between assignments, the way stipends are structured and local shifts all affect that figure. Use confirmed contracts for your starting estimate, then revise it as new work is scheduled.
Arkansas expanded Medicaid, and KFF says adults can qualify with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level. The state's ARHOME work and community engagement requirement began a soft launch on July 1, 2026, with full enforcement starting January 1, 2027. Keep that in mind if you're considering an extended break from assignments with very little income.
When your employer-sponsored agency insurance ends, HealthCare.gov gives you a 60-day special enrollment opportunity. You could instead continue that agency coverage through COBRA, but voluntarily canceling COBRA later or failing to pay its premiums doesn't trigger another enrollment window. Make sure you've compared your choices before committing to either route.
Many travel nurses avoid depending on a different agency plan for every assignment. Instead, they maintain their own coverage throughout the year, keeping the same plan active even when contracts end.
Next step: Give me a call before you work that last shift, and we'll arrange coverage so it's already in place when you return home.
You can use the premium credit only through HealthCare.gov. The benchmark silver plan determines the amount of assistance, so when you select something more expensive, you pay the remaining difference yourself. Fortunately, Arkansas has a relatively small PPO price gap. PPO-labeled coverage also pays toward out-of-network services, although your share of those bills is higher. That combination can make an Arkansas marketplace PPO especially attractive for travelers receiving the credit. Before enrolling, though, find out exactly how each policy covers medical visits in other states.
Next step: Share your upcoming contract schedule, and I'll calculate what Arkansas PPO coverage costs after your credit, including what you would pay for visits outside the state.
If you don't qualify for the credit, we should put the full-price marketplace PPO beside a private nationwide PPO and compare them. Private coverage requires a medical questionnaire. After reviewing your answers, the insurer may approve you, approve you while excluding a specified condition, or decline your application. Nurses in good health can often get a lower price than the marketplace's full premium while accessing in-network providers in their assignment cities. I'll help you compare the actual benefits of each plan before choosing.
Next step: Schedule a call with me, and I'll compare a nationwide PPO quote with the marketplace PPO for Pulaski County at its full, unsubsidized price.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
Absolutely, and there are quite a few. PPO-labeled plans account for more than half of the county's marketplace medical options, with silver PPO pricing roughly 3% higher than POS coverage.
Your PPO will contribute toward care outside its network, but you'll pay a larger share yourself. Check the out-of-state coverage rules for each specific plan.
Once your agency insurance ends, you have a 60-day special enrollment opportunity to obtain coverage through HealthCare.gov.
Yes, you can. If you're healthy, I can help you purchase a private nationwide PPO.
Tell me which county you call home, when your contracts start and end, and where your next assignment might be. I'll help you plan for coverage gaps and compare pricing for both PPO options.
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