Now is the time to start making sure you have the health coverage you need for 2026! Health insurance is life-changing. This open enrollment period, Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, is an opportunity for Texans to find and afford critical medications and services while avoiding crushing medical debt. Although Congress is not extending enhanced insurance subsidies, subsidies to make the insurance affordable will still be available, just not as high as they’ve been in the past.
If you do NOT have a current insurance plan through HealthCare.Gov, have an affordable offer of coverage through an employer, Medicaid, or Medicare, consider enrolling in the marketplace.
- Go to Healthcare.Gov to start your application.
- Once you add your information, you’ll start to see your coverage options.
- Contact a local nonprofit application assister if you need help assessing plans.
- Enroll and pay attention for updates from the Marketplace and Cover Texas Now.
If you already have Marketplace insurance through HealthCare.Gov, update your contact information and annual income projection to ensure you receive timely information about your options, even if you’re not ready to decide on a plan. You have until Dec. 15 to choose a plan that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and you can change your plan through Jan. 15. If Congress acts soon and extends the enhanced tax credits, the price of coverage may decrease significantly from the prices you see now.
Get Help Understanding Your Options
Applicants who are unsure about which plan to pick or how plans work can reach out to a local ACA Navigator or Certified Application Counselor for guidance. To get free, unbiased advice about your options, click on the tab for “Assisters” not “All” or “Agents/Brokers,” who often will only show applicants information about plans that offer them commission.
No matter what Congress decides to do on health insurance, there are still a lot of reasons to consider an insurance plan from HealthCare.Gov. The original tax credits that have been available since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act will remain in place either way. All HealthCare.gov plans, regardless of cost or insurer, cover preventive care at no cost to enrollees. Even people enrolled in plans with high deductibles can get preventive care at no cost.
We will continue to push Congress to extend the enhanced Premium Tax Credits for HealthCare.Gov plans—the financial assistance lawmakers are debating right now. Congress established this extra assistance in 2021, separate from the original Marketplace subsidies, to make plans on HealthCare.Gov more affordable. Those enhanced tax credits will expire on Dec. 31 if Congress fails to renew them, putting health coverage in jeopardy for more than 1 million Texans. Contact your congressional representatives to let them know you want them to keep the enhanced subsidies that make healthcare more affordable for everyone.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Plans
Current enrollees may want to switch from Gold or Silver plans, which cost more per month because they cover more day-to-day costs for copays, medications, and treatments, to Bronze plans with lower monthly premiums, but higher deductibles. In many areas across the state, some insurance companies will offer Bronze plans with copays to see doctors and get medications without first reaching a deductible.
You can filter for those plans by selecting “Filter” then “Bronze” and searching for Bronze plans that list out copays in the snapshot screen. Always be sure to review plans’ ‘Summaries of Benefits and Coverage’ to see full plan details.
Don’t Be Fooled By Junk Insurance
Marketplace health insurance from HealthCare.Gov is typically more expensive because it guarantees coverage for medically necessary treatment, regardless of preexisting conditions, and protects against major medical debt. Short-term plans, limited duration plans, and healthcare sharing plans, often called junk insurance, are unregulated and offer none of the guarantees or protections of actual health insurance.