Cheapest Health Insurance in Texas (2026)

Christus Health Plan is the cheapest health insurance provider in Texas with an average monthly cost of $553 per month, $59 less than Sendero Health Plans and $145 below the $698 statewide average. That's $1,740 in annual premium savings compared with the statewide average. Sendero averages $612 per month, while Community Health Choice is close behind at $616.

Christus has HMO-only plans, which means that you must stay in-network when seeking care. The provider also has a $5,313 average deductible and a $7,456 out-of-pocket maximum. Runners-up Sendero Health Plans and Community Health Choice carry lower deductibles in several tiers. For Texans who rarely use their coverage, Christus's monthly savings compound fast. For anyone managing a chronic condition or expecting regular care, the deductible structure erases the premium advantage after a few large claims.

*Average monthly costs represent the mean of all plan rates for each provider in Texas, rounded to the nearest dollar. Monthly savings show the cost difference between each provider's average rate and the statewide benchmark.

Find affordable health insurance plans in Texas by age, plan type and metal tier. Compare coverage options and choose the best fit for your budget and healthcare needs.

Christus Health Plan has the cheapest HMO plans in Texas, with Catastrophic coverage averaging $347 per month for a 40-year-old. Imperial Insurance Companies has the cheapest Bronze HMO at $438, Sendero Health Plans has the cheapest Silver at $633 and Community Health Choice has the cheapest Gold at $568.

Cost sharing falls as you move up metal tiers. Sendero's Silver HMO has a $1,890 average deductible, $5,010 below the $6,900 deductible on Imperial's cheapest Bronze HMO. Community Health Choice's Gold HMO lowers the deductible further to $1,575 while costing $65 less per month than Sendero's Silver plan. Qualifying shoppers should still compare Silver, because cost-sharing reductions are available only with Silver Marketplace plans.

* Rates shown are based on state averages for 40-year-olds.

Oscar has the cheapest EPO health insurance in Texas, with its Expanded Bronze plans averaging $499 per month for a 40-year-old. Community First has the cheapest Silver and Gold EPO options at $644 and $546 per month, respectively.

Community First's Gold EPO costs $98 less per month, or $1,176 less per year, than its Silver EPO while also reducing the average deductible from $1,550 to $750. Its out-of-pocket maximum is also slightly lower at $5,794 versus $5,836. Its Gold plans have a strong combination of lower premiums and lower standard cost sharing, although shoppers eligible for Silver cost-sharing reductions should compare subsidized benefits before choosing.

* Rates shown are based on state averages for 40-year-olds.

Wellcare Health is the cheapest POS health insurance provider in Texas at the Expanded Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers. Its Expanded Bronze plan averages $488 per month, while Blue Cross Blue Shield's standard Bronze POS averages $548.

Wellcare's Gold POS costs $657 per month, $131 less than its $788 Silver option for a savings of $1,572 per year. Gold also lowers the average deductible from $2,271 to $925, although Silver has the lower out-of-pocket maximum at $5,702 versus $6,163. Shoppers should weigh Gold's lower premium and deductible against Silver's lower maximum exposure and potential eligibility for cost-sharing reductions.

* Rates shown are based on state averages for 40-year-olds.

Christus Health Plan is the cheapest provider at all five ages in our Texas analysis, with monthly premiums ranging from $248 at age 18 to $890 at age 60. Catastrophic HMO plans are cheapest at ages 18 and 26, while Expanded Bronze HMO plans are cheapest for 40-, 50- and 60-year-olds.

The premium increase accelerates with age. Christus's cheapest option rises $167 per month from age 40 to 50, then another $304 from age 50 to 60. A 60-year-old pays $471 more per month than a 40-year-old for the cheapest health insurance option, a difference of $5,652 per year.

* Rates shown are statewide averages.

Christus Health Plan has the cheapest HSA-eligible health insurance in Texas, with an Expanded Bronze HMO averaging $419 per month for a 40-year-old. Wellcare Health's POS costs $488 per month, $69 more than Christus Health Plan, while Oscar's EPO costs $80 more than Christus at $499.

Christus has the lowest premium but the highest deductible of these options at $6,493. Oscar lowers the deductible to $4,830 and Wellcare lowers it further to $4,375. However, Christus has the lowest out-of-pocket maximum of the three at $7,575, compared with $7,606 for Oscar and $7,800 for Wellcare. Compare both the deductible and maximum exposure rather than assuming the higher-premium option has lower cost sharing across every measure.

* Rates shown are statewide averages for 40-year-olds.

The plan with the lowest monthly premium doesn’t always have the lowest total cost. We compared plans for 40-year-olds at three levels of annual medical expenses before insurance payments: $1,000, $5,000 and $20,000. Estimated total costs combine annual premiums with out-of-pocket spending, assuming expenses apply to the deductible first and 20% coinsurance afterward, up to the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum.

Christus Health Plan’s Expanded Bronze HMO is cheapest for low medical usage, with an estimated annual cost of $6,028. Community First’s Gold EPO costs $127 more per month but is cheaper for moderate and high usage because of its lower deductible and cost-sharing. Its estimated annual cost is $8,152 with $5,000 in medical expenses and $11,152 with $20,000.

* Your actual costs will vary based on copays, coinsurance, covered services and negotiated network rates.

HMOs are the cheapest health insurance plan type in Texas, while POS plans are the most expensive at every metal tier. For a 40-year-old, Bronze HMOs average $493 per month compared with $548 for POS plans. The difference grows to $113 per month for Silver coverage, with HMOs averaging $745 and POS plans averaging $858.

Gold plans also cost less than Silver across every plan type in our analysis. Gold is $95 cheaper per month for HMOs, $86 cheaper for EPOs and $138 cheaper for POS plans. With lower premiums and cost-sharing, Gold is important to compare for budget-focused shoppers, but qualifying households should separately evaluate Silver because it's the only metal tier eligible for cost-sharing reductions.

* Rates are state averages for 40-year-olds in Texas by plan type and metal tier, based on MoneyGeek's analysis of 2026 premiums. Your actual rate will vary by age, location and plan.

Health plans in Texas range from cheap to expensive for identical coverage. These steps will help you get the lowest price.

We analyzed federal Marketplace health insurance data for Texas to compare premiums across insurers, ages, plan types and metal tiers. Provider-level averages represent the mean of the available plan rates included in our analysis, while plan-type and metal-tier comparisons use consistent shopper profiles so differences aren't driven by age.

Research Approach

We collected premium data for five ages: 18, 26, 40, 50 and 60. These ages show how rates change from young adult coverage through near-Medicare eligibility, revealing the full cost range Texas residents face at different life stages.

Why We Focus on 40-Year-Olds

We use rates for 40-year-olds as a consistent benchmark when comparing insurers, plan types and metal tiers. Holding age constant makes premium differences between HMO, EPO and POS plans and between Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers easier to compare.

Age-Specific Rankings

We separately analyzed rates at ages 18, 26, 40, 50 and 60 to show how premiums change by age.