This article provides a summary of the 2014 individual health insurance plan rates and carriers for the Texas Health Insurance Exchange.
The Health Insurance Exchanges ("Marketplaces") are new websites where state residents can go to compare and enroll in health insurance plans. All health insurance plans offered through these Exchanges cover a set of essential health benefits, are guaranteed-issue, and offer premium subsidies for eligible residents. Texans can access the Exchange at www.healthcare.gov.
Texas Health Insurance Exchange - Carriers
Twelve insurance companies will be offering individual health insurance plans through the Texas Health Insurance Exchange. The carriers include:
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
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Firstcare Health Plans
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Humana Health Plan of Texas, Inc.
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Aetna
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Scott & White Health Plan
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Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company
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Sendero Health Plans
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Ambetter from Superior Health Plan
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CommunityFirst
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Community Health Choice
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Humana Insurance Company
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Molina Healthcare of Texas
These insurance companies will be offering 95 different individual plans throughout the state. The Exchange opened for enrollment on October 1, 2013 for coverage that can go into effect as early as January 1, 2014.
Texas Health Insurance Exchange - Individual Health Plan Rates
The chart below shows the average rates for a 27-year-old, a 50-year-old, a family of four with 30-year-old parents and two children, a single-parent family of three with a 30-year-old parent and two children, a 40-year-old couple without children, and a child (under age 21). The plans are divided into four standard "metallic" tiers of coverage, to help compare plans by level of coverage. There are also catastrophic plans, which are meant to only cover health expenses in the case of emergency. These below are averages; premium rates will vary based on carrier, plan, age, region, family size, and tobacco use.
Source: HealthCare.gov
Texas Health Insurance Exchange - Federal Premium Subsidies
The average rates above reflect the prices of premium prices before any cost sharing or premium subsidies, which may further decrease healthcare costs for eligible residents. The actual amount that Texans will pay depends on household income. New federal health insurance tax subsidies will cap the cost of health insurance at 2% - 9.5% of household income, if household income is up to 400% above the federal poverty line (FPL).
See more: Health Insurance Tax Subsidy Charts.
Additional Resources
For information on how to use the online Health Insurance Exchanges see: How to Sign Up for Individual Health Insurance via the Marketplaces.
More information on the Texas Health Insurance Exchange and health reform is available at healthcare.gov.
How do the Texas Health Insurance Exchange rates compare to other states? The Department of Health and Human Services recently released individual premium rates for all federally-run state Health Insurance Exchanges. See: Health Plan Rates for the 36 Federal Health Insurance Marketplaces.
