Texas ACA Open Enrollment 2027: Dates, Rates and Insurers

Medically reviewed by Jawad Arshad, MD, FACEP. Last reviewed: September 24, 2026.

Disclosure: This guide also mentions membership-based coverage. Membership-based coverage is not insurance, is not regulated as insurance, and does not count as ACA minimum essential coverage.

Texas ACA open enrollment for 2027 opens November 1, 2026 and closes January 15, 2027. If you want your plan to start on New Year's Day, your real deadline is December 15.

Here is what I tell Texas families every fall: do not let HealthCare.gov renew you on autopilot this year. Two insurers are leaving, several filed rate increases above 25%, and the bigger federal tax credits ended after 2025. Ten minutes of comparing can save a household hundreds of dollars a month.

When Is ACA Open Enrollment 2027 in Texas?

ACA open enrollment 2027 in Texas runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Texas uses the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, so Texas follows the federal calendar confirmed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 4, 2026, as reported by healthinsurance.org.

The ACA is the Affordable Care Act, the federal law behind the individual and family health insurance marketplace. Texas does not run its own exchange. Texans enroll on HealthCare.gov, by calling the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596, or through a licensed agent, broker or Navigator.

A 2025 federal rule would have ended open enrollment on December 15 in HealthCare.gov states for this fall. A federal judge vacated that change, and CMS confirmed on August 4, 2026 that the January 15 end date stands, per healthinsurance.org. After January 15, you can only enroll with a special enrollment period tied to a qualifying life event, such as losing job-based coverage, marriage, a new baby or a move.

Which Insurers Are Leaving the Texas Marketplace for 2027?

Cigna and Baylor Scott & White Health Plan are leaving the Texas marketplace at the end of 2026, according to healthinsurance.org. The Texas marketplace drops from 16 insurers in 2026 to 14 insurers for 2027.

If your 2026 plan is from Cigna or Baylor Scott & White, you must choose a new plan during open enrollment. HealthCare.gov may move you into a similar plan, but the new plan can have a different doctor network, drug list and deductible.

Choice also varies a lot by county. Most Texas counties have at least three marketplace insurers, but several counties in north-central Texas had only Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas in 2026, per healthinsurance.org's review of HealthCare.gov plan data.

If you are losing a job-based plan at the same time, our guide to COBRA alternatives explains when a marketplace plan beats COBRA.

How Much Will Texas Marketplace Premiums Go Up in 2027?

Texas marketplace insurers proposed an average 13.1% premium increase for 2027 before subsidies, according to healthinsurance.org's weighted analysis of filings on RateReview.HealthCare.gov. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) reviews those rates, and final rates usually post before November 1.

Source: RateReview.HealthCare.gov and Texas SERFF filings, compiled by healthinsurance.org (August 2026). These are proposed rates, not final.

Worked example: what a 13.1% increase costs

Take a hypothetical 55-year-old Texan who earns just over 400% of the federal poverty level, so she gets no premium tax credit and pays full price.

Most Texans pay far less than full price. About 92% of the nearly 4.2 million Texans who enrolled for 2026 received premium tax credits, and the average net premium was about $89 a month, up from $57 in 2025, according to CMS 2026 open enrollment data reported by healthinsurance.org. Our state-by-state 2027 premium increase tracker shows how Texas compares.

Why Are Gold Plans Often Cheaper Than Silver Plans in Texas?

Gold plans are often cheaper than Silver plans in Texas because a Texas Department of Insurance rule, 28 TAC Section 3.505, requires insurers to load extra cost onto Silver premiums. Tax credits are based on Silver prices, so the larger credit makes Gold and Bronze plans cheaper after subsidy.

Texas raised that Silver load for 2026. The result showed up in what Texans bought: Gold plans were 41% of all Texas marketplace plan selections for 2026, up from 35% in 2025, and Bronze plans were 31%, up from 18%, according to CMS open enrollment data reported by healthinsurance.org.

There is one exception. If your household income is at or below 250% of the poverty level, you may qualify for cost-sharing reductions, which lower deductibles only on Silver plans. About 26% of Texas enrollees picked plans with cost-sharing reductions for 2026, per CMS data.

What Else Changes for Texas Enrollees in 2027?

Texas enrollees face three other 2027 changes: the subsidy cliff at 400% of the poverty level is back, some lawfully present immigrants lose subsidy eligibility, and Texas still has no Medicaid expansion. Each one changes who should shop hardest this fall.

The subsidy cliff. The enhanced federal tax credits expired at the end of 2025. Since 2026, households earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level get no premium tax credit at all, per healthinsurance.org.

Immigration rules. Starting in 2027, non-citizens must be lawful permanent residents, Cuban-Haitian entrants or COFA migrants to qualify for marketplace subsidies, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (June 2026), as summarized by healthinsurance.org.

The Medicaid coverage gap. Texas has not expanded Medicaid. KFF estimated in July 2026 that about 605,000 Texans earn too little for marketplace subsidies and do not qualify for Medicaid.

A small-business note. Texas law lets a group of two employees buy small group coverage even if the two employees are a married couple, per healthinsurance.org. Married self-employed couples can compare small group plans with marketplace plans.

For county-level plan picks, our best health insurance in Texas guide goes deeper. Florida readers can use our Florida open enrollment guide.

Is Membership-Based Coverage an Option in Texas?

Membership-based coverage is an option some Texans use for everyday care, but membership-based coverage is not insurance. Membership-based coverage does not count as ACA minimum essential coverage, does not qualify for tax credits, and does not have to cover pre-existing conditions the way ACA plans must.

Some people search for this as a "health share." A health share is a membership where members share eligible medical bills under written guidelines, with no guarantee of payment.

The Comprehensive Membership shown on our individuals and families page starts around $314.99 a month for an individual, with pricing that varies by age and household. It includes virtual care and 800+ generic medications at $0. For an eligible major medical need, the member pays a $2,500 Initial Unshareable Amount per need before eligible expenses are shared under the member guidelines.

Membership-based coverage tends to fit healthy Texans who earn just over the subsidy cliff, or people who missed open enrollment. People with ongoing conditions or costly prescriptions are usually better off in a marketplace plan chosen during open enrollment.

How Should Texans Get Ready for Open Enrollment?

Texans should gather income estimates, doctor and drug lists, and their current plan details before November 1, then compare at least three plans. The steps below take about an hour.

1. Estimate 2027 household income. Tax credits are based on next year's income, not last year's.
2. List your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions. Check each one in the new plan's network and drug list.
3. Check whether your insurer is leaving. Cigna and Baylor Scott & White members must pick a new plan.
4. Compare Gold and Bronze, not just Silver. In Texas, Gold is often cheaper than Silver after subsidy.
5. Enroll by December 15 for January 1 coverage.

Free copy-paste checklist: Texas open enrollment 2027

[ ] 2027 income estimate for everyone in the household

[ ] Current plan name, insurer and monthly premium

[ ] List of doctors, hospitals and prescriptions

[ ] Confirm insurer is not Cigna or Baylor Scott & White

[ ] Compare at least one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze plan

[ ] Pick a plan by December 15, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Updated Statement Regarding City of Columbus v. Kennedy (August 4, 2026); healthinsurance.org, Texas Health Insurance Marketplace guide (accessed September 2026), compiling RateReview.HealthCare.gov and Texas SERFF 2027 rate filings (August 2026), CMS 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files (March 2026), Texas Department of Insurance rule 28 TAC Section 3.505, KFF coverage gap estimate (July 2026), and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities immigration eligibility summary (June 2026).