Texas Health Insurance and Medicare Help, from Houston to El Paso

Reviewed by Steve Turner, CLU, REBC · Texas License 2711842 · NPN 18030539 · November 2026

I’m Steve Turner, a licensed health insurance agent and broker, and I’m licensed in Texas. My office is in Tampa, Florida, and I work with Texas clients statewide by phone, video, and secure e-signature. The insurance companies pay my commission, so my help costs you nothing, and you pay the same premium you’d pay buying direct.

In Texas, I help two groups most: families and self-employed Texans who buy their own health insurance, and people turning 65 or reviewing their Medicare coverage. Here’s what’s changing for both in 2027.

Buying your own plan on HealthCare.gov

Texas uses the federal Marketplace, so you buy individual and family plans through HealthCare.gov.

• 2027 open enrollment: November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1.
• Two insurers are leaving. Cigna and Baylor Scott & White won’t offer Marketplace plans in Texas for 2027. If you have either, you need a new plan for January 1.
• Fourteen insurers remain, but choice depends heavily on your county. Big metro areas have many options; some counties in north-central Texas have only one.
• Premiums are up about 14% on average for 2027, before subsidies, and the extra federal help ended after 2025, so most people are getting smaller subsidies.
• Don’t let your plan auto-renew without comparing. If your insurer leaves, HealthCare.gov may move you into another company’s plan, and that plan may not include your doctors.

I’m appointed with Ambetter and UnitedHealthcare in Texas and can enroll you in their plans. I’ll compare them for your county, and if another insurer’s plan fits you better, I’ll tell you so you can decide with the full picture.

Medicare in Texas

• Your first Medigap window matters most. Your six-month Medigap open enrollment period starts when you turn 65 and enroll in Part B. After it ends, insurers can ask health questions and turn you down.
• On Medicare before 65? Texas only requires Medigap insurers to offer Plan A to people under 65 with a disability, usually at much higher premiums. Since 2025, people under 65 with kidney failure (ESRD) or ALS can buy any Medigap plan the insurer sells. Medicare Advantage is often the more practical choice, and I’ll show you both.
• Medicare Advantage plans vary by county, and networks differ a lot between metro and rural Texas.
• The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7. Changes take effect January 1.
• Free counseling: the Texas Department of Insurance’s Medicare Help Line (HICAP), at 1-800-252-9240.

Medicaid and CHIP in Texas

Texas hasn’t expanded Medicaid and has the largest coverage gap in the country. Most adults without children don’t qualify for Medicaid at any income, and parents qualify only at very low incomes. Adults below the poverty line usually can’t get Marketplace subsidies either. If you’re in that gap, I’ll tell you plainly.

Texas CHIP covers children under 19 in families that earn too much for children’s Medicaid, up to about twice the poverty level, for a small annual fee. It’s common for kids to be on CHIP while parents have a Marketplace plan, and I can help you set up both.

Dental and life coverage

I’m also licensed to sell life insurance in Texas and can help with individual dental plans if you want to round out your coverage while we review your health plan.

How working with me from Tampa works

• Phone or video, seven days a week: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central (5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain in El Paso).
• E-signature for everything. No printing or mailing.
• Doctors first. I check your doctors, your hospital (Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, UT Southwestern, Texas Health Resources, or wherever you go), and your prescriptions before we talk price.
• I stay your agent after you enroll, for claims, billing problems, income changes, and moves.

Texas questions

I have Cigna or Baylor Scott & White. What happens on January 1? Both are leaving the Texas Marketplace after 2026, so your plan won’t renew. Choose a new plan by December 15 to avoid a gap.

I’m under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability. Can I get Medigap in Texas? Usually, only Plan A is guaranteed, and it costs more than it does at 65. If you have ESRD or ALS, you can buy any plan the insurer sells. A Medicare Advantage plan is often more affordable, and when you turn 65, you get a new Medigap open enrollment period.

You’re in Florida. Can you really help me in Texas? Yes. I’m licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance (license 2711842), and I work with Texas clients by phone, video, and e-signature. You can verify my license before we talk.

Talk with Steve

Call or text (813) 388-8373, seven days a week, 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern (6 a.m.–7 p.m. Central), or book a call.

Related: Individual & family health insurance · Medicare plans · All areas we serve