The short version: in Texas, gold plans often cost less than silver, marketplace PPOs are missing in the big metros, and above 400 percent of the poverty line ($63,840 single, $132,000 for four) you pay full price in 2027.
- $709average monthly Texas marketplace premium before tax credits, 2026 plan selections
- 41%of Texans who picked a 2026 marketplace plan chose gold, versus about 14 percent in Florida
- 16.7%Texas uninsured rate in 2024, the highest of any state
What a 40 year old pays in Texas, county by county
These are real 2026 marketplace prices from the federal plan file for one 40 year old, before any tax credit, in the ten Texas counties I track.
| County | Cheapest bronze | Benchmark silver | Cheapest gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | $375 | $592 | $502 |
| Dallas | $433 | $671 | $588 |
| Tarrant | $450 | $692 | $625 |
| Bexar | $412 | $637 | $532 |
| Travis | $433 | $625 | $571 |
| Collin | $433 | $671 | $588 |
| Denton | $450 | $692 | $625 |
| El Paso | $376 | $594 | $514 |
| Fort Bend | $430 | $649 | $555 |
| Hidalgo | $380 | $649 | $501 |
Monthly premium, age 40, plan year 2026, full price. Click a county for its full breakdown, or see every county I track.
Houston is the cheap end. Harris County has the lowest bronze plan in this group at $375 and the lowest benchmark silver at $592. Tarrant and Denton, around Fort Worth, sit at the top with a benchmark near $692. That is a gap of about $100 a month for the same age, just from which side of the metro you live on.
Texas is the state where gold beats silver
In all ten of these counties, the cheapest gold plan costs less than the cheapest silver plan at full price. In Harris County a 40 year old pays $502 for the cheapest gold and $586 for the cheapest silver. Gold covers more of your bills and costs less.
This is not an accident. Texas passed SB 1296 in 2021, a bipartisan law that took effect in 2023. It directs the state to review marketplace rates so that silver premiums fully reflect the cost sharing help insurers owe lower income silver enrollees, in a way that maximizes the benefit of silver loading for consumers. The industry calls it premium alignment, a stronger form of the silver loading most states use. Silver gets expensive, the benchmark rises, subsidies rise with it, and gold becomes the bargain.
Texans noticed. CMS data shows 41 percent of Texans who picked a 2026 plan chose gold, compared with about 14 percent in Florida. If a Texas quote shows you silver first, ask to see gold.
How age changes the monthly price
Here is Harris County at full price. The 3 to 1 age curve built into the ACA means a 60 year old pays roughly 2.1 times what a 40 year old pays.
| Age | Cheapest bronze | Benchmark silver | Cheapest gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 21 | $293 | $463 | $392 |
| Age 30 | $333 | $526 | $445 |
| Age 40 | $375 | $592 | $502 |
| Age 50 | $523 | $827 | $701 |
| Age 60 | $795 | $1,257 | $1,065 |
Harris County, one person, monthly, plan year 2026, before tax credits. No platinum plans are sold on the marketplace in these ten counties.
What couples and families pay
| Household | Cheapest bronze | Benchmark silver | Cheapest gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| One adult, 40 | $375 | $592 | $502 |
| Adult 40 plus one child | $599 | $946 | $802 |
| Couple, both 40 | $749 | $1,184 | $1,003 |
| Couple 40 plus two children | $1,197 | $1,893 | $1,604 |
| Couple, both 60 | $1,591 | $2,515 | $2,130 |
Harris County, monthly, plan year 2026, before tax credits.
Before and after the subsidy
Your credit equals the benchmark silver price minus the share of income the IRS says you should pay. For 2027 that share runs from 2.15 percent to 10.22 percent of income, up to 400 percent of the poverty line ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four). Using Harris County 2026 prices and the 2027 percentages as an illustration:
| Household and income | Monthly credit | Cheapest bronze | Cheapest gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| One adult, 40, earning $40,000 | about $303 | about $72 | about $199 |
| One adult, 40, earning $50,000 | about $166 | about $208 | about $335 |
| One adult, 40, earning $65,000 | $0 | $375 | $502 |
| Family of four, 40s, earning $100,000 | about $1,041 | about $156 | about $562 |
| Family of four, 40s, earning $135,000 | $0 | $1,197 | $1,604 |
Estimates only. Final 2027 prices post November 1. Run your own numbers with my subsidy calculator.
On average, CMS reports Texans who picked a 2026 plan paid $709 a month before credits and $89 after. Above the 400 percent line, that average means nothing to you. You pay the full price.
No marketplace PPO in these Texas counties
This is the biggest practical difference from Florida. In all ten Texas counties I track, the 2026 marketplace sold HMO, EPO and POS plans only. There was not a single marketplace PPO. If you want out-of-network coverage or a nationwide network, the marketplace in these metros does not offer it, and you need to look at private options, which have their own health questions and trade-offs. My guide to Texas PPO options walks through them honestly.
Why so many Texans go without
Census puts Texas at a 16.7 percent uninsured rate for 2024, the highest of any state, against 8.2 percent nationally. Among working age adults it is 21.6 percent. Part of the reason is that Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, so adults below the poverty line often fall into a gap where they earn too little for a marketplace credit. If your income is at or above the poverty line, you likely qualify for help, so check before you assume coverage is out of reach.
What changes for 2027 in Texas
- Two carriers are leaving. Cigna is exiting the individual market nationwide, and Baylor Scott and White Health Plan is leaving the Texas individual market, about 100,000 enrollees. See what to do if your carrier is leaving.
- Prices are going up again. KFF found a median proposed increase of about 15 percent nationally for 2027.
- The subsidy cliff stays. The enhanced credits ended with 2025, so above 400 percent of the poverty line there is no help. Read how the 2027 cliff works.
My honest take
If you earn under the 400 percent line in Texas, a subsidized gold plan is often the best deal in the country, and you can find it on HealthCare.gov yourself. I'm most useful when you earn too much for help, need a network the marketplace does not sell, or run your own business. I'm Carson Hornish, licensed in Texas, and my help is free. See my Texas broker page.
Common questions
How much is health insurance per month in Texas for one person?
At full 2026 prices, a 40 year old in Texas pays about $375 to $450 a month for the cheapest bronze plan and about $592 to $692 for the benchmark silver plan, depending on the county. CMS reports the average Texas enrollee paid $89 a month after tax credits in 2026.
Why is gold cheaper than silver in Texas?
Texas law SB 1296, effective in 2023, has state regulators review rates so silver premiums fully reflect the cost sharing help insurers owe lower income silver enrollees. That raises silver prices and the subsidies tied to them. In all ten Texas counties I track, the cheapest gold plan costs less than the cheapest silver plan at full 2026 prices.
Are there PPO plans on the Texas marketplace?
Not in the ten large Texas counties I track, including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis. The 2026 marketplace there sold only HMO, EPO and POS plans. People who want a PPO usually have to look at private plans outside the marketplace.
How much is family health insurance in Texas per month?
In Harris County, a couple in their 40s with two children pays about $1,197 a month for the cheapest bronze plan and about $1,893 for the benchmark silver plan at full 2026 prices. A family of four earning under $132,000 qualifies for a 2027 tax credit that lowers that.
Why does Texas have so many uninsured people?
Census reports Texas had a 16.7 percent uninsured rate in 2024, the highest of any state. Texas has not expanded Medicaid, so some adults with very low incomes fall into a coverage gap. People earning at or above the poverty line may qualify for marketplace tax credits.
Want your real Texas number?
Send me your ZIP, ages and rough income, and I will price gold against silver and every other option you have for 2027, free, no pressure.
Get my Texas quote →Rather pick a time yourself? Book a call on my calendar
Sources
- CMS, 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files, state level file
- CMS, QHP Landscape Individual Market Medical file, plan year 2026
- IRS, Revenue Procedure 2026-26, 2027 applicable percentage table
- HHS ASPE, 2026 poverty guidelines, detailed table
- Texas Legislature, SB 1296 bill analysis, 87th Legislature
- Baylor College of Medicine, Impacts of premium alignment in the Texas ACA marketplace
- U.S. Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage by State: 2023 and 2024 (ACSBR-024)
- KFF, Status of state Medicaid expansion decisions
- Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027
- STAT, Cigna to exit the ACA individual market in 2027
- Becker's Payer Issues, Baylor Scott and White Health Plan to exit individual market
- ACA Signups, 2027 rate changes, Texas individual market filings