Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday announced reduced health insurance rate hikes for more than 300,000 Arkansans and a multi-billion-dollar agricultural trade commitment from Taiwan.
Sanders said Taiwan’s Feed Industry Association and Vegetable Oil Manufacturers Association signed letters of intent to purchase at least $5.56 billion in Arkansas and U.S. agricultural products between 2026 and 2029. The agreement includes 7.5 million metric tons of corn, 1 million metric tons of corn products, and 6.5 million metric tons of soybeans.
“Today’s announcement is great news for Arkansas and especially our row crop farmers, who need all the assistance they can get right now,” Sanders said. She praised Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward and others for helping secure the deal, which comes as the state’s farmers face depressed commodity prices and unfavorable weather.
At the same time, Sanders said her administration has negotiated average health insurance rate increases that are 35.8% lower than those initially proposed. In August, she rejected increases of up to 54.2% for plans offered by Centene and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The six plans cover about 308,000 Arkansans.
“Healthcare costs are growing out of control, and Arkansans are fed up,” Sanders said. “As part of my administration’s broader strategy to expand access and lower costs, we were able to negotiate down planned increases, easing the burden on both beneficiaries and taxpayers.”
The new insurance rates will take effect Jan. 1, 2026. Most policyholders will not see the full increases due to federal subsidies.
Sanders has made health care and agriculture central to her administration’s policy agenda. She has signed laws banning pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies, created a maternal health task force, and championed the “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act,” which directs $45 million annually toward maternal care.
In agriculture, Taiwan is already Arkansas’ fifth-largest export market. State officials say the new agreements signal both the strength of that relationship and the growing role of Arkansas as a global supplier.
Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward and Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester with members of the Taiwanese delegation at the Letters of Intent signing at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture on Friday, September 19. Photo Credit: Will Newton.
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