Arkansas employer health plans: what they cost and who gets paid
Updated plan year 2024, the most recent complete year
371 Arkansas employers filed health plans with 100 or more participants for plan year 2024, covering 1,996,091 participants. They reported $552M in insurance premiums and $46M in broker commissions and fees. The median broker rate on commission-paying, fully insured medical plans was 3.7% of premium, 0.1 points below the national median of 3.8%.
Largest brokers
Reported commissions and fees, with the number of employer plans naming each.
Largest medical carriers
Medical premium written.
Cities in Arkansas
Every Arkansas city where 15 or more employers filed a health plan, by the sponsor's mailing address. Each page lists the city's largest plans, brokers and carriers.
| City | Employer plans | Premiums |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | 88 | $75M |
| Springdale | 24 | $20M |
| North Little Rock | 22 | $18M |
| Fort Smith | 21 | $23M |
| Fayetteville | 17 | $16M |
| Conway | 15 | $9.8M |
| Jonesboro | 15 | $3.7M |
| Rogers | 15 | $10M |
Largest employer plans
By health plan participants.
| Employer | City | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart Inc. | Bentonville | 1,615,389 |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. | Springdale | 115,178 |
| J. B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Lowell | 34,519 |
| Dillard's, Inc. | Little Rock | 12,335 |
| Murphy USA Inc. | El Dorado | 11,075 |
| Windstream Services, LLC | Little Rock | 9,673 |
| Baptist Health | Little Rock | 8,896 |
| Mountaire Corp & Subsidiaries | Little Rock | 8,463 |
| Simmons Foods Inc | Siloam Springs | 7,722 |
| Arvest Bank | Lowell | 6,596 |
| Arcbest Corporation | Fort Smith | 4,855 |
| George's, Inc. | Springdale | 4,390 |
| Arkansas Children's Hospital | Little Rock | 3,698 |
| Usable Mutual Insurance Company | Little Rock | 3,109 |
| Simmons First National Corporation | Pine Bluff | 3,018 |
| Washington Regional Medical Center | Fayetteville | 2,892 |
| O.K. Foods, Inc. | Fort Smith | 2,860 |
| Bank Ozk | Little Rock | 2,703 |
| Travel Nurse Across America, LLC | North Little Rock | 2,672 |
| Home Bancshares, Inc. | Conway | 2,586 |
| Central Arkansas Nursing Centers, | Fort Smith | 2,547 |
| Americas Car Mart, Inc. | Rogers | 2,530 |
| Montrose Environmental Group | North Little Rock | 2,073 |
| Maverick USA, Inc | Little Rock | 2,072 |
| Acxiom LLC | Conway | 2,012 |
Highest broker pay
Employers reporting the most broker commissions and fees.
Highest commission rates
Fully insured medical plans with at least $500,000 in premium, ranked by broker compensation as a share of premium.
Source: DOL Form 5500 and Schedule A, plan year 2024; built October 24, 2026. Methodology.
What do Arkansas employers pay health insurance brokers?
Across 58 fully insured medical plans in plan year 2024, among commission-paying fully insured medical plans, the median broker compensation for Arkansas employers was 3.7% of premium (middle half 2.5% to 5.1%), against a national median of 3.8%. In dollars, the median employer that disclosed broker pay reported $64,301.
Which Arkansas employers paid the most in broker commissions?
Tyson Foods, Inc. reported the most in 2024, $2,722,277, followed by Simmons Foods Inc ($2.0M) and J. B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. ($1.8M).
Which brokers and carriers dominate Arkansas?
By reported compensation, the largest brokers are Stephens Insurance LLC, Gallagher, Lockton. By medical premium, the largest carriers are Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company.
Which Arkansas cities have the most employer health plans?
Little Rock (88 employer plans, $75M in premiums); Springdale (24 employer plans, $20M in premiums); North Little Rock (22 employer plans, $18M in premiums); Fort Smith (21 employer plans, $23M in premiums); Fayetteville (17 employer plans, $16M in premiums). 8 Arkansas cities with 15 or more employer plans have their own page listing the largest plans, brokers and carriers.
Is your company on this page? Get its Form 5500 read next to the Arkansas medians.
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