Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is under fire after complaining about skyrocketing health insurance premiums—costs driven up by the very policies she and her party support.
Last week, Sanders slammed proposed 2026 rate hikes by BlueCross and Centene, calling them “unacceptable” and urging Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Alan McClain to block them. But critics say her outrage is nothing more than political theater.
“Tough talk, but talk is cheap. Health care is not.”
Rates for individual health plans in Arkansas are set to rise by an average of 36% next year. Some plans may jump by more than 50%, according to filings with the state’s Insurance Department. That’s a huge leap from the modest 2-6% increases seen in recent years.
What’s fueling the spike? The expiration of enhanced subsidies from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — a direct result of Republican inaction in Congress.
These subsidies, boosted during the pandemic under President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, made health coverage more affordable for millions. In Arkansas alone, the number of people buying individual plans more than doubled since 2020 thanks to these subsidies.
Now they’re ending — and Republicans are doing nothing to stop it.
Insurance companies warn that without the extra help, healthier people will drop coverage, leaving behind a sicker, costlier insurance pool. That means higher premiums for everyone who stays insured.
Here’s what that looks like in real life:
A 30-year-old single mom in Arkansas making $40,000 now pays $61/month for a decent plan. In 2026, she’ll pay $214/month — a 250% increase.
A four-person family earning $70,000 will see premiums jump from $138 to $436/month.
A 64-year-old couple making $90,000? Their premium explodes from $638 to $2,915/month — $35,000 a year.
This isn’t a fluke. It’s a direct result of Republican policies.
Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” preserved tax cuts for the wealthy but let health care subsidies expire. That bill also slashed federal health spending by hundreds of billions — most of it hitting Medicaid, the main safety net for low-income Americans.
Sanders cheered that bill, even writing a Washington Post op-ed in support. Not once did she mention protecting subsidies or helping Arkansans afford coverage.
Now she’s pointing fingers at insurance companies — not the party that set this crisis in motion.
“Corporate profits over Arkansas’s people,” Sanders said last week.
That’s rich coming from a governor who: Cut corporate income taxes three times in just 18 months, slashing revenue by $212 million last year alone, and is pushing Medicaid work requirements expected to knock thousands off their health coverage.
She rolled back postpartum Medicaid coverage to just 2 months, making Arkansas one of only two states doing so. She also used taxpayer money to fund school vouchers and travel to Davos, Paris, and Israel, while Arkansas suffers under the third-highest state and local sales tax rate in the country.
The backlash online was swift and brutal:
“You don’t give a f*** about Arkansas,” said Marlon M. Farid. “You only care for Israel.”
“You are a traitor to America,” wrote @Chris47052.
“Nobody trusts you,” said @MittenMaverick.
@SharonLovish added: “Arkansas has the third-highest combined state and local sales tax rate in the nation… You do not care about Arkansas.”
@irishrygirl laid it out plainly: “Thanks @GOP, this is what happens when you gut Medicaid by $800 billion.”
@Campbell297 slammed Sanders for her misplaced priorities: “You invested $100 million of Arkansas money into Israel’s genocide fund. Shame on you.”
@cindylpc asked: “What do the people of Arkansas deserve?? Please get your priorities straight.”
The fury isn’t just about premiums. It’s about betrayal, misplaced priorities, and pretending to care while quietly gutting the safety net.
Sanders wants to act like a champion of working people — but her own policies are pushing them to the edge.
People see through the game. They’re not fooled.
