Health insurance options in Houston
Residents of Houston and Harris County buy coverage from two markets: HealthCare.gov, with guaranteed-issue plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Ambetter, Oscar, and Baylor Scott & White priced on income, and the private shared-network market, with PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO priced on health. Most people in Houston have only been shown the first.
What it costs in Houston
A healthy 40-year-old in Houston pays roughly $550–$850 a month full price on the marketplace in 2026, or roughly $320–$480 on a private PPO. A family of four: roughly $1,500–$2,500 marketplace full price versus $800–$1,300 private. Prices depend on age, deductible and health; see live numbers on the quoting tool.
Keeping your Houston doctors
Marketplace plans in Texas are increasingly HMOs tied to one hospital system. The Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO PPO networks include most major providers in Harris County and work in every state — we check your specific doctors before you enroll.
The Texas factor
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country, and because Medicaid wasn't expanded, adults under the poverty line fall into a coverage gap with no subsidy at all. Texas has no state individual mandate and no state penalty for going without coverage.