Health Insurance in Texas: What Are My Options?

Health insurance in Texas can get expensive if you are not careful. There are people in this state that pay about 14.2% of their income in premiums. 

However, you do not have to pay this much in health insurance premiums if you do your homework. You just need to dedicate some time to finding the right plan for you. 

Read on to find out what your options are for Texas health insurance.

Medicaid 

If you are in a situation where you are not making enough money to pay for your health insurance, the Medicaid program may be an option for you. This provides healthcare to people that fall below a certain income threshold. 

This is different in every state and your exact income eligibility depends on your household circumstances. 

Do you live alone? Are you the sole provider in your household? How many dependents do you have? 

The answers to these questions will likely determine if you qualify for Medicaid.

Some people may be hesitant to take this option because they may view it as a government handout. However, just know that you are not alone. 

By the end of 2021, there were more than five million people in Texas that were enrolled in Medicaid. Over one million of those people enrolled in it after the pandemic put a lot of people out of work for a while. 

The point is that you never know when you may fall on hard times. Do not dismiss Medicaid as an option if you are financially struggling. 

ACA 

For those of you that do not qualify for Medicaid, you could consider looking into ACA options. This is a policy that Obama put in place over a decade ago to make sure that more Americans had access to affordable healthcare. 

Usually, this requires you to put a little bit of money towards healthcare premiums every month. However, it is likely going to be a more affordable option than a regular health insurance policy, assuming that you qualify for this. 

Look up what ACA options you have in Texas and see if you meet the income threshold for these options. 

Short-Term Health Insurance 

Did you just get laid off from a job? Are you young enough that you were on your parent’s health insurance policy until you were 26 years old? 

If you answered yes to either of these questions, you may be in a position where you recently got dropped from a health insurance policy. As a result, you may not know what to do next. 

In this situation, it may be best to get a temporary health insurance policy. This allows you to still be covered for a health emergency if something comes up while you are looking for a long-term policy. Considering how expensive an ambulance alone can be, you do not want to get caught without any sort of health insurance policy. 

Know upfront that these are likely not going to be the best deals that you can get. The goal of this is to simply buy you time until you figure out a long-term solution. 

Luckily, in Texas, this is a realistic option for you. You can get policies that last as little as 30 days if you are not confident that you are going to need a long-term plan in Texas. 

You may be someone that travels a lot or someone that is considering moving to another state. In these situations, you may be hesitant to commit to a plan for a year or longer. Use short-term plans as an option to allow you to figure out your longer-term plans.

Texas Marketplace

Another option you have is to look at the Texas health insurance marketplace. This is a platform that gives you all of your possible health insurance options available in Texas. It lays everything out by cost and by what you may need to be covered in the plans. 

Are you someone that has to have vision as part of your health insurance plan. Well, you can use this as a filter and narrow down your search to policies that include this.

What about if you are someone that is looking to stick to a certain budget when it comes to premiums? Use the marketplace to show results that meet a certain premium threshold. 

Or, you could be someone that wants a higher maximum coverage limit for certain situations. This could be something such as a doctor’s visit or if you see yourself going to the hospital often. You can use the marketplace to find the coverage that works best for you. 

Know What You Want 

Finally, you need to figure out what your top priority is when it comes to health insurance. The reason why this is so important is because you can then center your health insurance search around what you want the most.

Do you have to have a doctor that is minutes from your house as part of your health insurance plan? In this situation, you need to search by location and see what comes up. If only one plan covers this, then you just found what can work best for you. 

It may also come down to some of the things that we mentioned above. This could be anything from a specific type of coverage, to the cost of premiums, co-pay options, and more. 

The point is that you should sit down and figure out what is most important for you when it comes to health insurance.

Get the Right Health Insurance

These are the things that you need to consider if you are looking for health insurance in the Lone Star State. 

First, figure out if you have income eligibility for a more affordable healthcare plan such as Medicaid or the ACA. Then, determine how long you are going to need this coverage. You may find that a short-term plan is what works best for you right now. Finally, figure out what coverage areas you prioritize. 

Do you need help finding health insurance carriers? Get a free quote from us today.