Skip to main content
Well Covered
Solutions
Menu
Well Covered
Solutions
Shop plans

Licensed in Texas

Texas health insurance for 2027

Texas has insurers build the cost of a subsidy program into Silver premiums. That raises Silver prices and the tax credits that are based on them, so after the credit a Gold plan can cost less than Silver. Here's how that works, and what else changes in Texas for 2027.

Send a messageCompare plans online

Reviewed by Ollie Gougaud, licensed insurance broker, on October 15, 2026

On this page

Why Gold can cost less than Silver

It comes down to how Texas prices Silver plans, and how tax credits are set.

Silver carries an extra load

Under SB 1296, a 2021 law, the Texas Department of Insurance reviews Silver rates against the other metal levels. Its rule prices Silver plans on HealthCare.gov with a 1.40 cost-sharing reduction factor, starting with 2026 plans.

Bigger credits follow

Your tax credit is figured from the second-lowest-cost Silver plan where you live. When Silver costs more, the credit grows for people who qualify, and it can be used on a plan from any metal level.

Many Texans chose Gold

41.3% of Texans who picked a 2026 marketplace plan chose Gold: 1,723,001 people.

Silver can still be the better buy

Cost-sharing reductions, which lower deductibles and copays, come only with Silver plans. If your income qualifies for them, compare Silver with Gold on the whole year's costs, not just the premium.

If your insurer is leaving Texas's individual market

When an insurer pulls out of the Texas marketplace, its plans don't renew, and its members pick again for 2027.

Watch the mail

A plan that won't renew comes with a letter from the insurer. Once you have it, pick a replacement on HealthCare.gov, or send us a message and we'll compare them with you.

If you don't act

When an insurer leaves and you don't choose, HealthCare.gov can match you to a comparable plan from a different company, if one is offered. The match may use other doctors and hospitals, so choose by December 15 if you can.

What else changes in Texas for 2027

Open enrollment plan selections in Texas grew for 2026, to 4,172,233, 5.2% more than for 2025.

Higher prices requested

For 2027, insurers asked for increases from 1.30% to 33.96%, depending on the company, in the filings posted so far for review. Those are requests. Final rates and your own tax credit decide what you pay.

Tax credits narrow for immigrants

Starting with 2027 coverage, the only immigrants who can get a premium tax credit are green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA migrants. Other lawfully present Texans can enroll but pay the full premium.

Medicaid and the coverage gap in Texas

Texas hasn't expanded Medicaid. About 605,000 uninsured Texas adults are in the coverage gap, by KFF's estimate from 2024 data.

Who falls in the gap

Adults with income under the federal poverty line who don't qualify for Texas Medicaid. They earn too little for a marketplace tax credit, which generally begins at the poverty line.

What's left for them

A marketplace plan at its full price is still an option. Write to us and we'll walk through the choices with you.

For Texas employers

Texas employers can offer an ICHRA, which CMS now also calls a CHOICE arrangement, and repay employees tax-free for the individual plans they pick from the Texas market.

Read about ICHRA for small businesses

Our license in Texas

Anyone who sells insurance or advises on it in Texas needs a license there. You can check ours before you talk to us.

License number

Ollie Gougaud holds Texas license 3484597. Check it with the Texas Department of Insurance agent lookup (opens in a new tab).

If you have a problem

The Texas Department of Insurance (opens in a new tab) takes complaints about any insurance company or agent licensed in Texas, including us.

Questions from Texans

Why can a Gold plan cost less than Silver in Texas?

Texas prices extra cost into Silver plans. Tax credits are based on a Silver plan's price, so they rise too, and they can be spent on Gold. After the credit, Gold can come out cheaper.

My Texas plan isn't renewing. When do I need a new one?

By December 15 for coverage from January 1, or by January 15 for February 1. We can check which plans in your county take your doctors.

Can lawfully present immigrants still get a tax credit in Texas?

For 2027, among immigrants only green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA migrants can. Other lawfully present immigrants can still buy a marketplace plan, at its full price.

Sources

The dates, prices, insurers and rules on this page come from the sources below, each checked on the date shown. Open enrollment dates can still change while a court case about the rule that would have shortened them is on appeal; if they do, we'll update this page. Summaries of laws and rules here are not legal or tax advice.

Talk to a licensed broker

Send a message and we'll get back to you, usually within one business day.

Phone: (702) 213-7375Email: info@wellcoveredsolutions.com

Send a message