I'm based in Tampa, but Texas is one of the 19 states where I hold an active license: number 3450201, a non-resident producer license issued by the Texas Department of Insurance. You can verify it yourself before we ever talk, and I'd encourage you to. Checking the license is exactly the kind of habit that protects you in this industry.
Everything I do works the same at a distance as it does across a desk. We talk by phone or text, I run quotes while we're on the line, and you see the same comparison I do. Nobody has visited an insurance office since about 2009 anyway.
How Texas coverage actually works
Texas uses HealthCare.gov as its marketplace. There's no separate Texas exchange, so if you've been quoted "Obamacare" plans, that's where they live. The marketplace rules are the same as everywhere: nobody can be declined for health history, subsidies are based on your income, and enrollment is limited to the annual window or a qualifying life event.
One thing to have on your radar for 2027: the enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025, so the old income cliff at four times the poverty line is back. If your household sits anywhere near that line, an hour of planning can be worth real money. The open enrollment guide covers the dates and what changed.
Outside the marketplace, Texas has one of the country's most active private markets. Many plans there aren't ACA plans: those enroll year-round, which matters when you leave a job in February, and approval comes from your health answers. For a healthy applicant, a private-market plan outside the ACA often comes with better pricing and a broader PPO-style network. They cover things differently, so compare the benefits, not just the price. The private plans vs. marketplace guide explains the tradeoff in full, and it applies to Texas exactly as written.
The one Texas-specific thing you should know
Texas did not expand Medicaid. In expansion states, adults below a certain income get Medicaid. In Texas, many of those same adults get nothing: too little income for marketplace subsidies, no Medicaid to fall back on. It's called the coverage gap, and I'd rather tell you it exists than pretend everyone gets a good option. If your income is low or uncertain, talk to me before you assume you're stuck. Where your estimate lands changes what you qualify for, and estimating it right is half the job.
For the self-employed, a huge share of Texas from contractors in the trades to consultants in Austin, everything in the self-employed guide applies: the premium deduction, the income-estimating problem, and the marketplace-vs-private decision.
Questions Texans actually ask
Can a Florida-based broker really help me in Texas?
Yes. Insurance licensing is state by state, and I hold an active Texas non-resident license, number 3450201. Same plans, same carriers, same pricing as any local agent. Commissions are built into the premium, so where your broker sits changes nothing about what you pay.
Does Texas have its own exchange?
No. Texas uses HealthCare.gov, the federal marketplace. Some states run their own sites; Texas is not one of them.
Can I get covered outside open enrollment in Texas?
Through a qualifying life event on the marketplace, or year-round through private-market plans that aren't ACA plans, if your health history gets you through the application. That second door is open in Texas twelve months a year.
What does health insurance cost in Texas?
It depends on your age, county, income, and which door you walk through. Any site that publishes one number for a state that spans 800 miles is guessing. Text me your zip code and age and I'll give you real numbers the same day.
Want both quotes for your Texas zip code?
Send me your situation and I'll show you both doors, with real numbers, in one conversation. Free, no pressure.
Get my options →The bottom line
Texas is a two-door market like everywhere else, with one extra trap door underneath. The Medicaid gap is wide here, wider than almost anywhere, and the only defense is getting your income estimate right before you file it rather than after.
I compare both doors side by side and tell you which one I would take and why. Running a company with people on payroll is a different question with its own answers, and the small business guide is where that starts.