People in Arkansas have access to 90 Medicare Advantage plans, 16 prescription drug plans, and 12 Medigap plans. Your exact options depend on where you live.
Medicare is a health insurance program for individuals ages 65 and older, as well as younger individuals with certain health conditions and disabilities.
It’s divided into four parts:
- Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance) make up Original Medicare
- Part C, known as Medicare Advantage, offers an alternative to Original Medicare
- Part D provides coverage for prescription drugs
If you have Original Medicare, you can also enroll in a supplemental insurance plan (Medigap) to help cover out-of-pocket expenses.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 673,546 people in Arkansas are enrolled in Medicare.
The CMS reported the following trends for the 2025 plan year:
- The average Medicare Advantage monthly premium decreased by $5.56 — from $13.30 in 2024 to $7.74 in 2025.
- The number of available Medicare Advantage plans decreased by 3 — from 93 in 2024 to 90 in 2025.
- All Medicare beneficiaries have the option to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, including plans with $0 premiums.
- All Original Medicare enrollees have the option to buy a stand-alone prescription drug plan.
- There are 16 stand-alone prescription drug plans available, and the lowest monthly premium is $0.
- All Medicare beneficiaries with a stand-alone prescription drug plan have the option to enroll in a plan with a lower premium than they paid in 2024.
- About 31% of people with a stand-alone prescription drug plan receive Extra Help.
Each part of Medicare covers specific services, so it’s essential to understand each component to choose the best option for your needs.
Original Medicare
Original Medicare is a federal program that includes Part A and Part B. It’s available to anyone eligible for Medicare.
Most people qualify for premium-free Part A. In 2025, the standard monthly premium for Part B is estimated to be $185, but your premium may be higher based on your income.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers that partner with Medicare to bundle Parts A and B with additional health and wellness benefits.
Many of these plans include prescription drug coverage, as well as certain vision, dental, and hearing services.
The following companies offer Medicare Advantage plans in Arkansas:
- Aetna Medicare
- Arkansas Blue Medicare
- Humana
- Primewell Health Services
- UnitedHealthcare
- Wellcare
- Wellcare by Allwell
Your choice of plans depends on where you live in Arkansas. Not all plans are available in every region, and each plan sets its own cost and coverage amounts.
Stand-alone prescription drug plans
Private insurance companies also provide prescription drug coverage through Medicare. You must be enrolled in Part A or B to be eligible.
People in Arkansas can choose from different prescription drug plans offered by the following companies:
- Aetna Medicare
- Arkansas Blue Medicare
- Cigna Healthcare
- Humana
- UnitedHealthcare
- Wellcare
Service areas, costs, and coverage amounts vary by plan.
Medigap
Private insurers work with Medicare to provide supplemental coverage for Original Medicare beneficiaries.
Remember that Medigap is a supplemental policy, not health insurance; it helps cover out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
People in Arkansas can choose from 12 different Medigap plans:
The following companies offer Medigap plans in Arkansas:
- Ace Property and Casualty Insurance Company
- AFLAC
- American Benefit Life Insurance Company
- American Home Life Insurance Company
- Allstate Health Solutions
- Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna Health & Life Insurance Company
- Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee (Aetna)
- Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company
- Humana Achieve (CompBenefits Insurance Company)
- Humana (HumanaDental Insurance Company)
- LifeShield National Insurance Company
- Manhattan Life Assurance Company
- Medico Life and Health Insurance Company
- MedMutual Protect
- Mutual of Omaha (Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company)
- New Era Life Insurance Company
- Old Surety Life Insurance Company
- Physicians Life Insurance Company
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
- United American Insurance Company
- UnitedHealthcare/AARP
- USAA Life Insurance Company
- Washington National Insurance Company
- Wellcare (Centene)
- Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation
- Woodmen Of The World Life Insurance Society
Service areas, costs, and coverage amounts vary by plan.
You’re eligible for Medicare if you:
- are age 65 or over
- are a U.S. citizen or legal resident of at least 5 years
If you’re under age 65, you may be eligible for Medicare if you:
- received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits for at least 24 months
- have end stage renal disease (ESRD) or a kidney transplant
- have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease
When can you enroll in Medicare in Arkansas?
You can enroll in Medicare or change your coverage during specific periods:
- Initial Enrollment Period (IEP): This lasts for seven months — three months before your 65th birthday, your birth month, and three months after.
- Open Enrollment Period (OEP): From October 15 to December 7, you can enroll, switch plans, or drop coverage.
- Medicare Advantage OEP: If you’re already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make changes from January 1 to March 31.
- Medigap OEP: You have six months after turning 65 to enroll in Medigap.
Certain life events can trigger a special enrollment period, allowing you to sign up for Medicare outside of standard enrollment.
Tips for enrolling in Medicare in Arkansas
To help you narrow down your options, consider the following:
- Provider network: To maximize the benefits of a Medicare Advantage plan, you may need to use in-network providers. Before enrolling, confirm that your healthcare team is part of the network.
- Prescription drugs: Create a complete list of your medications and compare it with the coverage offered by stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans in your area. Ensure your medications are covered and reasonably priced.
- Travel coverage: Some Medicare Advantage plans provide coverage outside the plan’s service area. If you travel frequently, it may be beneficial to select a plan that offers this coverage.
- Plan performance: The CMS publishes annual performance ratings for Medicare plans, ranging from one to five stars, with five being the highest rating.
Medicare has a helpline with staff available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (excluding some federal holidays) to answer your questions. You can call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY: 1-877-486-2048).
For personalized health insurance counseling, contact Arkansas’sState Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)at 1 (800) 224-6330.
More than 600,000 Arkansas residents are enrolled in Medicare.
Several private insurance companies offer Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and stand-alone prescription drug coverage throughout the state.
Overall, monthly premium costs have decreased for Medicare Advantage plans in Arkansas.