What health care costs in Texas right now.

The numbers

Marketplace prices are full prices before any subsidy. Employer figures are averages across all Texas private-sector workplaces that offer coverage, from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-IC) as compiled by KFF. Medicaid and CHIP limits are shown as a share of the federal poverty level (FPL), the way the programs set them.

Census released 2025 state figures from the American Community Survey on Oct 29, 2026. We could not pull the new Texas uninsured rate in time for this update, so the 2024 numbers stay until we can. New data out

The ACA marketplace for 2027

Texas uses HealthCare.gov rather than running its own exchange. If you are self-employed, between jobs, retiring before 65 or moving here before a new job’s benefits start, this is probably where you will buy coverage. A move to Texas generally counts as a reason to sign up outside the open enrollment window; check the rules for your situation on HealthCare.gov.

Key dates

• Nov 1, 2026: shopping opens and final 2027 prices appear (healthinsurance.org).
• Dec 15, 2026: pick a plan by this date for coverage starting Jan 1, 2027.
• Jan 15, 2027: open enrollment closes. A federal rule would have cut the window short at Dec 15, but a judge vacated it, so it does not apply this fall (healthinsurance.org). HHS has appealed, so later years could change.

What it costs

For 2026 the benchmark silver plan for a 40-year-old averaged $661 a month before subsidies, 35% above 2025’s $489 (KFF). The extra federal subsidies that had held down net prices expired at the end of 2025 (ACASignups.net), so many households now pay more of that sticker price themselves. Subsidies are still figured off the benchmark, and the cheapest gold plan ($570) cost less on average than the cheapest silver ($651) in 2026. Compare tiers rather than defaulting to silver.

For 2027, insurers’ proposed increases average roughly 13% to 14% before subsidies, depending on who is counting (ACASignups.net, Aug 28, 2026; healthinsurance.org, Oct 1, 2026). The proposals vary widely by company:

Proposed 2027 rate changes before subsidies, from healthinsurance.org (updated Oct 1, 2026). Final approved rates may differ; check HealthCare.gov after Nov 1.

• Two insurers are leaving. Cigna and Baylor Scott & White exit the marketplace after Dec 31, 2026, and Antidote Health Plan is joining, for 15 insurers in 2027 (healthinsurance.org). If you have a Cigna or BSW plan, you will need to pick a new one.
• Fewer people kept coverage. Nearly 4.2 million Texans chose a 2026 plan during open enrollment, but fewer than 3.3 million had paid and were covered in February 2026, down from more than 3.4 million a year earlier (healthinsurance.org).

More on marketplace plans, plus home, auto and flood coverage, is on Texas insurance costs.

Medicaid and CHIP

Texas did not adopt the ACA’s Medicaid expansion; KFF counts 10 states that still haven’t (Oct 16, 2026). In practice, Texas Medicaid is mostly for children, pregnant women, people with disabilities and older adults with low incomes. A working-age adult without children cannot qualify on income alone, and a parent in a family of three qualifies only below 15% of the poverty level.

What that means if you earn little

• Children: Medicaid covers babies up to 203% of FPL and older kids at lower limits, and CHIP picks up children in families up to 206%. Texas’s child uninsured rate of 13.6% was the worst in the country in 2024 (Census), so many eligible kids are not signed up.
• Pregnancy: Medicaid covers pregnant women up to 203% of FPL, and since Mar 1, 2024 coverage lasts 12 months after the birth instead of two. Women enrolled while pregnant are moved into the longer coverage automatically.
• Adults without kids: the marketplace is usually the only option, and people with very low incomes may not qualify for its subsidies either. For them, the county hospital district programs further down this page are often the safety net.
• How to apply: online at YourTexasBenefits.com, or call 2-1-1 and choose Option 2 (Office of the Governor and HHSC).

Limits are KFF’s tally of state rules as of January 2026. Texas Health and Human Services sets the actual dollar thresholds, which change each year with the federal poverty guidelines; confirm yours when you apply.

Coverage through a job

Most working Texans with insurance get it through an employer. In 2025 the average single plan cost $8,543 a year, and the worker’s share was $1,638, about $137 a month (our arithmetic). Both are a bit below the national averages. Family coverage is where Texas stands out: the total premium averaged $25,053, slightly below the U.S., but Texas workers paid 32% of it, or $7,913 a year, against 28% nationally. That is about $659 a month out of a paycheck (our arithmetic).

When you compare job offers, ask for the monthly employee premium for the tier you need (single, plus spouse, family) and the deductible. A higher salary in one Texas city can be eaten up by a family premium that runs several hundred dollars more a month.

These are averages across private-sector employers that offer coverage, including small firms, which often pass on a bigger share to workers. The figures exclude deductibles and copays. Salary benchmarks by metro are on Texas salaries.

Hospital districts: health care on your property tax bill

Each of the six big counties has a hospital district that levies its own countywide property tax, runs the public hospital system and pays for care for low-income residents. Rates are per $100 of taxable value and come from our property tax page. Renters pay too, indirectly, through rent.

What that costs a homeowner: on our worked example of a $300,000 San Antonio homestead, the University Health line comes to $662.96 a year after University Health’s 20% homestead exemption (rates from Bexar County; arithmetic on our property tax page). The $140,000 state homestead exemption does not apply to hospital districts, since it only covers school taxes.

What the districts offer residents

• Parkland (Dallas County): Parkland Financial Assistance is open to Dallas County residents with income under 250% of the federal poverty level. Enrolling is free, but you still pay copays for visits and prescriptions, and approval isn’t guaranteed. Call Patient Financial Services at 214-590-8831.
• Central Health (Travis County): the Medical Access Program (MAP) covers uninsured Travis County residents at or below 200% of FPL, regardless of immigration status. Central Health notes MAP is not insurance. Monthly income limits for FY2026 run from $2,660 for one person to $5,500 for a family of four. Apply online or at 512-978-8130.
• Harris Health, JPS, University Health and UMC run similar county-resident programs. We could not open their eligibility pages for this update, so check with each system directly before you count on one.

Prices for common care

We have not found a public, reputable source that publishes typical Texas prices for common services, such as an office visit, an MRI or a birth, in a form we can link and date. Commercial estimate tools exist, but we can’t verify their numbers, so we leave them out. Until then, the best figures you can get are your own: ask your insurer for an estimate before a planned procedure, and ask hospitals for their self-pay price. Both Parkland and Central Health offer reduced-cost care to eligible residents.

Medicare

Medicare’s fall open enrollment runs Oct 15 to Dec 7, 2026, with changes starting Jan 1, 2027. If you move to Texas, your plan options change with your county. HHSC’s Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program gives free help comparing plans at 800-252-9240. More is on retiring in Texas.

Out-of-date numbers you’ll still find online

Related pages

See Texas insurance costs for home, auto, windstorm and flood coverage, property taxes for the full bill that includes your hospital district, and the Texas cost index for the key numbers on one page. Moving with a family? Moving to Texas has the first-month checklist, and how much you need to live in Texas builds a budget that includes health care.

How we check

Coverage rates come from the Census Bureau, marketplace prices and Medicaid limits from KFF, employer premiums from the federal MEPS-IC survey via KFF, and program details from the agencies and hospital districts themselves. Rate-filing tallies from ACASignups.net and healthinsurance.org are labeled as proposals. This page is general information, not insurance advice. Read the full methodology.