State profile · AR · CMS + NAIC
Arkansas marketplace insurers denied 15.6% of claims (24th of 30 states); drivers average $1051/yr for auto cover, #33 nationally by cost.
The verdict
Marketplace insurers in Arkansas deny 15.6% of claims - below the 20% national average, the 24th-highest of 30 states, and drivers pay an average $1051 a year for auto cover, less than the $1191 national average (the 33rd-most-expensive of 51 states).
Same 1,000-claim floor as the table, ordered by rate
HMO Partners, Inc.: 16.8% denied (257,411 of 1,530,994)
17 % of claims denied
USAble HMO, Inc.: 16.3% denied (126,463 of 774,831)
16 % of claims denied
USAble Mutual Insurance Company: 15.7% denied (676,808 of 4,314,995)
16 % of claims denied
Celtic Insurance Company: 15.6% denied (1,349,884 of 8,656,738)
16 % of claims denied
QualChoice Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc.: 15.1% denied (273,192 of 1,804,696)
15 % of claims denied
QCA Health Plan, Inc.: 15.0% denied (256,793 of 1,715,924)
15 % of claims denied
What this shows A high rate on a smaller book is not evidence of the most denied claims in Arkansas.
Same filing sample, ordered by denied count rather than rate
Celtic Insurance Company: 1,349,884 denied of 8,656,738 (15.6%)
1,349,884 denied claims
USAble Mutual Insurance Company: 676,808 denied of 4,314,995 (15.7%)
676,808 denied claims
QualChoice Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc.: 273,192 denied of 1,804,696 (15.1%)
273,192 denied claims
HMO Partners, Inc.: 257,411 denied of 1,530,994 (16.8%)
257,411 denied claims
QCA Health Plan, Inc.: 256,793 denied of 1,715,924 (15.0%)
256,793 denied claims
USAble HMO, Inc.: 126,463 denied of 774,831 (16.3%)
126,463 denied claims
What this shows Denied-claim count is a volume rank. It is not a restatement of the rate ranking.
HMO Partners, Inc. reports the highest marketplace denial rate in Arkansas at 16.8% on 1,530,994 received claims. Celtic Insurance Company reports the most denied claims (1,349,884) at 15.6% - a different rank, not a second reading of the same list.
6 insurers reporting marketplace claims in Arkansas
| # | Insurer | Claims | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HMO Partners, Inc. B | 1,530,994 | 257,411 | |
| 2 | USAble HMO, Inc. B | 774,831 | 126,463 | |
| 3 | USAble Mutual Insurance Company A | 4,314,995 | 676,808 | |
| 4 | Celtic Insurance Company C | 8,656,738 | 1,349,884 | |
| 5 | QualChoice Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. A | 1,804,696 | 273,192 | |
| 6 | QCA Health Plan, Inc. A | 1,715,924 | 256,793 |
Among carriers with enough reported claims to compare, Arkansas's highest marketplace denial rates in this dataset belong to HMO Partners, Inc. (16.8%), USAble HMO, Inc. (16.3%), and USAble Mutual Insurance Company (15.7%).
The 3 largest insurers account for 79% of the 18,798,178 claims represented here. The statewide rate is based on several reporting carriers, but its largest contributors still shape the aggregate. Only insurers with at least 1,000 claims in the CMS filing are included, so this is a description of the available dataset rather than the full insurance market.
USAble Mutual Insurance Company: 2,400 of 7,600 reported appeals overturned
32 appeals overturned (%)
HMO Partners, Inc.: 363 of 1,247 reported appeals overturned
29 appeals overturned (%)
USAble HMO, Inc.: 220 of 686 reported appeals overturned
32 appeals overturned (%)
What this shows Across the 3 carriers with at least 100 reported appeals in Arkansas, 31.3% of reported appeals were overturned (2,983 of 9,533). This filing field describes reported outcomes, not the likelihood that an individual claim will change.
2019: $900 average expenditure
$900 avg expenditure
2020: $877 average expenditure
$877 avg expenditure
2021: $888 average expenditure
$888 avg expenditure
2022: $927 average expenditure
$927 avg expenditure
2023: $1051 average expenditure
$1,051 avg expenditure
What this shows Arkansas drivers' average auto cost rose 17% between 2019 and 2023.
Year over year, Arkansas's average auto expenditure rose 13.4% from 2022 to 2023, part of a 17% increase (+$151) since 2019. See the full 5-year state-by-state comparison.
Arkansas auto rates in detail →Arkansas: $1051/yr average auto expenditure (this state)
$1,051 avg expenditure
Alabama: $1081/yr average auto expenditure
$1,081 avg expenditure
West Virginia: $1063/yr average auto expenditure
$1,063 avg expenditure
Tennessee: $1050/yr average auto expenditure
$1,050 avg expenditure
Kentucky: $1046/yr average auto expenditure
$1,046 avg expenditure
Evidence map
The order below follows the evidence with the greatest bearing on this state record, while keeping the CMS claims filing, NAIC cost series, and state-rule context distinct.
Reporting-sample shape
The 3 largest reporting insurers represent 79% of the 18,798,178 claims in this page's CMS sample. That concentration means the statewide rate can be strongly affected by a few carriers and their plan mix.
Marketplace claims filing
Arkansas's reporting insurers denied 15.6% of submitted marketplace claims, ranking 24th among the 30 states with a comparable federal filing. This is a carrier-reported claims measure, not a consumer-complaint rate or a prediction of how an individual claim will be resolved.
Auto-cost position
Arkansas's 2023 average auto expenditure was $1051, 33rd of 51 jurisdictions by cost and 11.8% below the national average. The figure reflects the coverage mix recorded by NAIC, not an individual driver's quote.
State insurance rules
Arkansas uses an at-fault (tort) auto-insurance system: the driver responsible for an accident, or their insurer, is liable for the other party's damages -- unlike the 12 no-fault states. Arkansas's insurance commissioner is an appointed office (in most states, by the governor), not an elected position -- one of 39 states structured this way.
Nearest expenditure peers. By average auto expenditure, Arkansas's closest peers in PlainInsurer's dataset are Tennessee ($1050/yr) and Kentucky ($1046/yr) -- both within a few dollars of Arkansas's own $1051/yr.
Border comparison. Arkansas borders Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Arkansas's auto costs run higher than 5 of them and lower than 1, by average auto expenditure -- geography is one of several factors (alongside regulation and risk pool) that shapes these differences, not a direct cause.
Rate regulation and guaranty-fund coverage are state-specific, so a state record can differ from an insurer's national average. Sources: CMS Transparency in Coverage PUF PY2026; NAIC 2023 Auto Insurance Database; Insurance Information Institute; Ballotpedia.
State insurance-department directory links come from NAIC. PlainInsurer is not affiliated with NAIC or CMS.
Every figure on PlainInsurer comes directly from NAIC MCAS and CMS Transparency in Coverage data; no editor types in numbers. See our editorial standards or methodology, or report an error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Grades measure only the published complaint/denial data; we don't recommend any insurer or policy.