Texas health insurance questions, answered.
Answers from licensed agents about buying your own coverage in Texas, organized by topic.
Getting started
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No. Texas uses the federal marketplace at HealthCare.gov. That is where you apply for premium tax credits and compare plans from the insurers selling in your county.
Open enrollment runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Choose a plan by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1. Outside that window you generally need a qualifying life event, such as losing job coverage.
No. The enhanced credits expired after 2025, and help reverted to the older rules, including the cutoff at 400% of the poverty level. The House passed an extension in January 2026, but it had not become law as of fall 2026.
Leaving a job
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Possibly. Federal COBRA generally applies to employers with 20 or more employees, but Texas continuation may let you keep an insured group plan for up to nine months if you are not eligible for COBRA. You generally must have been covered for the three months before your job ended.
If your plan is regulated by Texas, state law may add six months after COBRA ends, for up to 24 months total for a former employee. This does not apply to self-funded employer plans.
Often, if you qualify for a tax credit, because COBRA makes you pay the full premium. Losing job coverage opens a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov, so compare both before you decide.
Early retirement
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Probably not, unless you are disabled or caring for a minor child. Texas did not expand Medicaid, so most adults without children at home are not eligible at any income.
Yes. With the enhanced credits gone, households above 400% of the poverty level generally get no premium tax credit. Managing taxable income from retirement accounts can keep you under that line.
In Texas you may fall into the coverage gap: no Medicaid and no marketplace tax credit. KFF estimates hundreds of thousands of Texans are in this situation, so plan your income with that in mind.
Self-employed
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No. Texas has no state coverage mandate, and the federal penalty is zero. You still generally need a qualifying event to enroll outside open enrollment.
It is based on your estimated income for the whole year. If you earn more or less than you estimated, the difference is settled on your federal tax return, so update HealthCare.gov when your income changes.
Sixteen insurers sold 2026 marketplace plans statewide, but the number in your county may be much smaller. Some parts of Texas have only one or two choices.
Short-term plans
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Yes. Texas rules allow initial terms under 12 months and up to 36 months with renewals. Most plans on sale in early 2026 ran three or four months, and at least one insurer offered 12 month terms.
A 2024 federal rule does, but in August 2025 federal agencies said they would no longer prioritize enforcing it and planned to write a new rule. Because these rules are changing, a licensed agent can confirm what is sold in Texas when you apply.
Probably not fully. Short-term insurers can turn you down or charge more for pre-existing conditions and often cap benefits. A marketplace plan must cover pre-existing conditions.
Non-ACA options
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Anyone who joins the Texas Farm Bureau, not just farmers. Applicants are medically underwritten, so price and approval depend on your health history.
No. Texas law says a qualifying ministry is not insurance, sharing is voluntary, and you remain responsible for your bills. Complaints go to the Texas attorney general.
Farm Bureau says a new medical issue alone does not end coverage once you are accepted. Coverage can end for unpaid premiums, a lapsed Farm Bureau membership or misstatements on your application.
Insurers
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Cigna and Baylor Scott & White Health Plan are leaving after 2026. If you have one of their plans, choose a new one by December 15 for coverage on January 1, 2027.
No. Aetna CVS Health stopped offering individual marketplace coverage after 2025. Harbor Health joined the Texas marketplace for 2026.
KFF found the average benchmark Silver premium for a 40-year-old rose from $489 to $661 a month before tax credits, about a 35% jump. What you pay depends on your age, county and tax credit.
Sources
Reviewed October 2026. Rules and prices change every year; a licensed agent will confirm what applies to you.
- HealthCare.gov: Dates and deadlines
- healthinsurance.org: Texas health insurance marketplace (updated Aug. 27, 2026)
- KFF: Marketplace average monthly benchmark premiums
- Texas Tribune: Texas ACA premiums rise for 2026 (Oct. 31, 2025)
- healthinsurance.org: Texas Medicaid
- Texas Department of Insurance: Health care coverage guide
- Texas Insurance Code 1251.255: Period of continuation
- healthinsurance.org: Short-term health insurance in Texas
- Bloomberg Tax: Agencies target summer 2026 for short-term health plans rule
- Texas Insurance Code chapter 1681: Health care sharing ministries
- Texas Farm Bureau: Farm Bureau health plans approved by Texas Legislature
- Texas Farm Bureau Insurance: Health plans
- KUT: Lawmakers allow a health plan to bypass protections for preexisting conditions (May 2021)
- Insurance Business: ACA carrier exits grow to nine as open enrollment approaches
- HealthCare Insider: Will you qualify for an ACA subsidy in 2027?
- ASTHO: ACA enhanced premium tax credits, legislative developments in 2025 and 2026
- HealthCare Insider: Health insurance open enrollment 2027 dates and deadlines
- U.S. Department of Labor: COBRA continuation coverage
See what you'd actually pay.
A licensed agent will compare plans from every insurer in your Texas county, check your subsidy, and walk you through the options. No cost, no obligation.