Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls insurance hikes ‘outrageous,’ calls for rejection

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent filing by two insurance companies for rate hikes in Arkansas brought a call from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the changes to be rejected by the Insurance Commissioner.

According to Sanders, Centene Corporation and Blue Cross Blue Shield filed to raise premiums by 54% and 25.5%, respectively.

“Arkansans are tired of getting outrageous bills from multi-billion-dollar insurance companies, and my administration will not allow them to take advantage of our people,” the governor said. “Nothing justifies year-over-year premium increases of this scale – it’s wrong and prohibited under Arkansas law.”

The governor called for the Insurance Commission’s disapproval of the increases based on Arkansas statute.

“Arkansas’ Insurance Commissioner is required to disapprove of proposed rate increases if they are excessive or discriminatory, and these are both,” Sanders said. I’m calling on my Commissioner to follow the law, reject these insane rate increases, and protect Arkansans.”

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield shared a statement Wednesday evening in response to the governor’s statement on the 2026 rate proposals.

Based on individual market filings nationally, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s request is consistent with what other insurers are requesting. 

We want to assure Arkansans that we don’t take proposed rate increases lightly. As an Arkansas-based, not-for-profit mutual insurance company, we agree that the cost of healthcare is becoming unaffordable for families and businesses. Health insurance costs, however, are driven by the cost and use of healthcare services. In the last several years, we have seen substantial increases in the cost of hospitalizations, outpatient surgeries, prescription drugs, and overall utilization.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

FOX 16 News reached out to Centene for a statement, but had not received a reply as this story was published. If a statement is received, this story will be updated.