Arkansas long-term care insurance: cost & coverage

Who regulates long-term care insurance in Arkansas

Long-term care insurance policies sold in Arkansas are regulated by the Arkansas Insurance Department. If you have a complaint about an agent, carrier, or policy, you can file it with the regulator directly.

What long-term care costs in Arkansas

Median assisted living cost in Arkansas vs. the national median:

Source: SeniorLiving.org median assisted living costs, 2026. See costs for all 50 states for the full table.

What each type of care costs in Arkansas

Assisted living is only one of the settings people use. Median monthly costs across the main care types in Arkansas:

Source: SeniorLiving.org Cost of Care Research (2026)

Arkansas's LTC Partnership program

Arkansas has an active LTC Partnership program. Arkansas has an active Long-Term Care Partnership Program providing dollar-for-dollar Medicaid asset protection for qualified policies.

A Partnership-qualified policy lets you keep an extra dollar of assets, protected from Medicaid spend-down, for every dollar your policy pays out in benefits — see the note above for this state's current status. Learn more about how Partnership programs work.

How Arkansas treats LTC premiums at tax time

Arkansas has a state income tax but offers no deduction or credit aimed specifically at long-term care insurance premiums. What Arkansas does allow is the general medical-expense deduction on Schedule AR3, and the Department of Finance and Administration's own instruction booklet lists "long-term care expenses" among deductible medical and dental expenses. Two catches: Arkansas counts only the medical expenses above 10 percent of your adjusted gross income — a higher floor than the federal 7.5 percent — and you must itemize instead of taking Arkansas's $2,470 standard deduction. Neither the Schedule of Adjustments (AR1000ADJ) nor the Schedule of Tax Credits (AR1000TC) carries a long-term care line. The real tax advantages on a tax-qualified policy are federal ones.

Source: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (2025)

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional licensed in Arkansas.

Medicaid long-term care in Arkansas

Arkansas Medicaid is run by the Department of Human Services, and its long-term-care side is called Long-Term Services and Supports, or LTSS. One set of financial rules covers nursing facility care, Level II assisted living, ARChoices in Homecare, and PACE. The posture is tight. An applicant may keep only $2,000 in countable resources, and monthly income is capped at three times the federal SSI payment standard — a figure DHS recalculates each January. Income above that cap does not automatically disqualify you; Arkansas lets you set up an income trust instead. A husband or wife still living at home may keep a share of the couple's combined resources. An LTSS caseworker at your DHS county office, not your agent, decides eligibility.

Source: Arkansas Department of Human Services (2023)

Other Arkansas long-term care programs

• IndependentChoices and the Choices in Living Resource Center. Arkansas runs two things worth knowing about before you need care. IndependentChoices is the state's self-direction program: rather than have an agency send whichever aide is free, you receive a cash allowance and recruit, hire, train and supervise your own personal assistant, deciding when they work and what they do. Arkansas offers it under 1915(j) state plan authority, and self-direction is available through the ARChoices waiver too; a contracted financial management vendor handles the payroll and taxes. The Choices in Living Resource Center is Arkansas's Aging and Disability Resource Center — trained program specialists at 1-866-801-3435 will walk seniors, families and caregivers through the state's long-term care options at no cost, whether or not you qualify for Medicaid.

How to compare quotes in Arkansas

• Confirm any agent or carrier you talk to is currently licensed to sell in Arkansas — the Arkansas Insurance Department can confirm licensing status.
• Ask which products a carrier is actively writing in Arkansas today — availability changes state by state and year to year. See carriers we compare.
• If a Partnership-qualified policy matters to you, confirm with the carrier or agent whether a policy is currently certified as Partnership-qualified in Arkansas — see this state's Partnership status above.
• Compare traditional and hybrid options side by side — see traditional vs. hybrid coverage.
• Get quotes from more than one carrier; pricing for the same coverage can vary significantly.

Please note: Regulator names, complaint channels, and Partnership-program status can change. Confirm current details with the Arkansas Insurance Department or a licensed agent before making any decision. LongTermCareInsurance411 is not a government agency and does not administer Arkansas's insurance regulations or Medicaid program.

Last updated: August 22, 2026