Best Cheap Health Insurance in Texas 2023
Aetna Silver 2 is the cheapest Silver health insurance plan in Texas, costing as little as $401 per month for a 40-year-old in some counties.
Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in Texas
The cheapest health insurance plan in Texas varies by county, and where you live determines which company has the most affordable rates for you. For nearly a third of the state, the cheapest plan is Blue Advantage Silver HMO 205 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Another widely available cheap option is the FirstCare Prime Silver HMO 003 FirstCare Prime Silver HMO.
Cheapest health insurance coverage by plan tier
The average cost of a Silver health insurance plan in Texas is $589 per month for a 40-year-old, which is a 2% increase over last year.
However, the cheapest Silver health insurance plan in Texas, Aetna Silver 2, costs $188 per month less than average.
To help you get started finding the best health insurance plan available for your preferred level of coverage, we compared Texas policies by plan tier and identified the cheapest health insurance option available in the state.
Cheapest health insurance plans in Texas
Plan tier | Cheapest plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | CHRISTUS Catastrophic | $274 |
| Bronze | BCBS MyBlue Health Bronze 402 | $277 |
| Silver | Aetna Silver 2 | $401 |
| Gold | BCBS MyBlue Health Gold 403 | $378 |
Costs are for a 40-year-old.
The set of insurers and health plans varies by county, so not all of those listed above are available in every region. We recommend using these as a starting point to assess the monthly premiums you can expect as compared to benefits and out-of-pocket expenses.
Average cost of health insurance in Texas by age
The cost of health insurance increases as you age, and a 40-year-old in Texas pays about half of what a 60-year-old pays.
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Monthly health insurance rates by age
Tier | Age 21 | Age 40 | Age 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $275 | $351 | $746 |
| Bronze | $323 | $413 | $877 |
| Silver | $461 | $589 | $1,250 |
| Gold | $408 | $522 | $1,108 |
Average monthly rates
Affordable health insurance in Texas: How to reduce your costs
Those who have low to moderate incomes qualify for health insurance subsidies (also called premium tax credits), which reduce the monthly cost of insurance according to your income. These discounts can be applied to the Bronze, Silver or Gold plan you choose.
This means in Texas, free or low-cost insurance is available for someone who earns close to the federal poverty level of $13,590 for an individual or $27,750 for a family of four.
Those who earn four times the federal poverty level ($54,360 for an individual) will pay about $385 per month for health insurance in Texas, based on paying 8.5% of income towards a typical Silver plan. That's a savings of about $76 per month as compared to a 40-year-old paying full price.
These discounts are available when you shop for a private health insurance plan on HealthCare.gov.
Your health insurance estimated subsidy
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How to find your best health insurance coverage in Texas
Determining which health plan is the best for you and your family will depend on a number of factors, including:
- Expected health care costs in a given year
- Amount of savings you have in case of emergency
- Household income and if you qualify for discounted insurance through tax credits
Gold plans are best if you expect to need expensive medical care
People with higher medical needs, especially those who need routine prescriptions or expensive procedures, should choose a plan with better coverage such as a Gold tier plan. These plans have higher monthly costs, but they will reduce how much you pay for medical care, ultimately saving you money.
Gold plans will have much lower copays, coinsurance and deductibles, meaning each medical service will be cheaper than with a lower-tier plan.
It is especially important to consider the copays and coinsurance for prescription medication, as this is typically the one area of plan benefits that has the highest routine use.
Silver plans are best for the average or low-income people
Silver plans are the only plans that come with a cost-sharing reduction, which allows lower-income households to benefit from cheaper copays, deductibles and coinsurance compared to a standard plan.
Silver health plans are a good middle ground for most people since they balance out-of-pocket costs and monthly premium payments. Silver plans also have a huge advantage for low-income households.
For households with incomes less than 250% of the federal poverty level, a Silver plan is almost always the best option because you can use subsidies to reduce monthly costs and cost-sharing reductions to lower medical expenses.
Bronze and Catastrophic plans are best for the young and healthy
The cheapest health insurance options are Bronze and Catastrophic plans. These plans, while having low monthly premiums, come with high out-of-pocket costs, often with deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums near the highest amount allowable by law. For 2023, this is $9,100 for an individual and $18,200 for a household.
You might find lower premiums very appealing, but these plans will generally cover nothing until you've paid thousands of dollars in medical bills first.
This could be problematic if you don't have enough savings and you find yourself in need of moderate medical care. In such cases, you would effectively pay for the costs yourself. The Bronze and Catastrophic plans really help out in cases of serious emergencies where care will cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Health insurance rate changes in Texas
In Texas, the average cost of health insurance across all tiers is $469 per month, a decrease of 6% between 2022 and 2023. This decline means that rates in 2023 are closer to what they were in 2021.
The average cost of a Silver health insurance plan in Texas for a 40-year-old is $589 per month, which is a 2% increase over last year.
The largest price decrease was for Gold plans, which cost an average of 20% less this year, a savings of about $130 per month. However, the average cost of a Silver plan increased slightly, by 2%.
Health insurance premium changes are set by the health insurance companies on a yearly basis. Before these premiums are set, they are first approved by the federal health insurance exchange.
Health insurance rate changes in TX by plan
Tier | 2022 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | $354 | $351 | -1% |
| Bronze | $445 | $413 | -7% |
| Silver | $575 | $589 | 2% |
| Gold | $652 | $522 | -20% |
Premiums are for a 40-year-old adult.
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Short-term health insurance in Texas
Texas residents have the option of buying short-term health insurance. The state follows federal guidelines for this type of plan, meaning customers can get coverage for one year and renew policies for up to 36 months.
Federal regulations do not require short-term health insurance to cover the essential health benefits — such as mental health services, maternity care and prescription drugs. For this reason, if you are considering a short-term plan, you should make sure it will cover your health needs.
A short-term health insurance company will require you to take a medical exam, and you can be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition.
Best cheap health insurance companies in Texas
There are currently 15 health insurance companies on the Texas state exchange, which is more than the previous year.
Health Insurance Companies in Texas
- Aetna (CVS Health)
- Ambetter from Superior Health Plan
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
- CHRISTUS Health Plan
- Cigna
- Community First
- Community Health Choice
- FirstCare Health Plans
- Moda Health
- Molina
- Oscar Insurance Co.
- Scott and White Health Plan
- Sendero IdealCare
- UnitedHealthcare
- U.S. Health and Life Insurance Co.
Cheapest health insurance plan by county
The most affordable health insurance plan changes based on where you live. For example, in Houston, the cheapest plan is from Ambetter, and in Dallas, the lowest cost plan is from Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Cheapest Silver plan in Texas by county
County | Cheapest plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson | CHRISTUS Silver | $539 |
| Andrews | Blue Advantage Silver HMO 205 | $500 |
| Angelina | Blue Advantage Silver HMO 205 | $533 |
| Aransas | CHRISTUS Silver | $532 |
| Archer | Blue Advantage Silver HMO 205 | $679 |
Costs are based on a 40-year-old adult.
Average cost of health insurance by family size in Texas
The cost of a health insurance plan in Texas will vary based on your chosen policy, your household income and the size of your family. Each family member added to your policy will increase your monthly health insurance premiums by a certain amount based upon their age.
For instance, children cost $352 to add to a Silver plan in Texas, whereas a 40-year-old adult costs an extra $589 to insure. A family of five would pay $705 more per month for a health plan than a family of three.
Monthly health insurance cost by family size
Family size | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Adult & child | $941 |
| Couple | $1,177 |
| Family of three | $1,530 |
| Family of four | $1,882 |
| Family of five | $2,235 |
Average Silver plan costs are for 40-year-old adults and dependents under age 15.
Recap of the best cheap health insurance in Texas
- Catastrophic: CHRISTUS Catastrophic
- Bronze: MyBlue Health Bronze 402
- Silver: Aetna Silver 2
- Gold: MyBlue Health Gold 403
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of health insurance in Texas?
The average cost of health insurance in Texas is $589 for a 40-year-old buying a Silver plan for 2023. However, the cost of health insurance may change depending on variables such as location, age and the metal tier of coverage that you select. For example, a 40-year-old pays 53% less than a 60-year-old for a Silver health insurance plan.
Which company has the most affordable health insurance in Texas?
In Texas, the cheapest health insurance company for most people is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which offers the most affordable Silver policy in 30% of counties. Other cheap companies to consider are Aetna and FirstCare.
How do I get cheap health insurance in Texas?
When browsing for a new health insurance policy in Texas, the best way to ensure you get a cheap policy is to compare plans from several different companies. By comparing policies, you will be able to understand which companies place more emphasis on your location and age. Then, using your own criteria and needs, you can choose a policy that works best for you.
Methodology
Texas health insurance premiums and plans found in the above report were aggregated from Public Use Files (PUFs) on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services government website. Using the rates and premiums for each plan, averages were calculated for a variety of variables such as metal tier, family size or county. Plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS Crosswalk file were used in our analysis; those excluded from this data set may not appear.
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