Texas open enrollment 2027 Open enrollment · Texas

Texas Open Enrollment 2027 for People Between Jobs

Last updated November 3, 2026 · By Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance broker

Short answer

For people between jobs in Texas, open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov, and December 15 is the date to choose by for a January 1 start. If you are healthy, a private, medically underwritten plan is another route that ignores the calendar: if approved, it can start the first of any month, right after your job coverage ends.

What 2027 looks like for you

Texas's average 2027 rate change is 13.1% to 14.1% (finalized). Two insurers are leaving Texas's individual market, so some renewals arrive as a plan you did not pick. The details are on the Texas 2027 premium increase page.

Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and open enrollment runs at the same time this fall, so most people between jobs have two doors open at once. Federal COBRA, where it applies, lasts up to 18 months at up to 102% of the full premium. Any Marketplace subsidy depends on your 2027 household income, with the line at $63,840 for one person and $86,560 for two.

Texas this year

Texas runs the country's second-largest Marketplace, where about 15 insurers filed and the approved 2027 increase sits near 13 to 14 percent, slightly under the national average. Group plans for small employers climb about 16.9 percent. Oil and gas contractors in Houston and the Permian Basin, Austin tech contractors and freight workers in Laredo move between jobs often. Under Texas law, insured group plans give people who lack COBRA rights as many as nine months of state continuation, and give COBRA users six extra months once COBRA runs out, billed at the group rate plus 2 percent. Self-funded plans are outside that rule.

State continuation in Texas: Texas requires insured group plans to offer state continuation for up to nine months to people not eligible for COBRA, or six more months after COBRA ends, at the group rate plus 2 percent. It does not apply to self-funded employer plans.

One thing to do before you choose

Texans finishing COBRA should check whether the old plan is insured; if so, Texas allows six more months after COBRA ends. If you are earlier in the process, compare HealthCare.gov plans now, because about 15 insurers mean prices and networks swing widely in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio. Last year's plan may not be this year's value.

Your checklist

The exact date your job coverage ends, in writing
Your COBRA notice and its election deadline
Severance and final pay in your 2027 income estimate
A private quote while COBRA is still in reserve

Private plan or Marketplace?

Private plan

Healthy and between roles: priced on age, ZIP code and health, with COBRA kept in reserve. Approval depends on health answers; not an ACA Marketplace plan.

Marketplace

Ongoing treatment, or a year of lower income: HealthCare.gov must accept you within the 60-day window or during open enrollment.

Compare Texas plans this open enrollment

Private plans priced first, the Marketplace alongside when it fits. Phone or video, English or Spanish, no fee.

Get a quote Book a call (786) 218-2384

About your broker

Frank Caballero (NPN 21032307), licensed in 31 states including Texas. Phone or video, English or Spanish, no fee; independent, not HealthCare.gov or any government agency.

Questions

When is the 2027 open enrollment deadline in Texas?

January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov. Choose by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1; plans picked after that start February 1.

My COBRA from a Houston employer ends in March. Can Texas extend it?

When the plan is insured rather than self-funded, Texas generally allows six more months of continuation after COBRA ends, with a 2 percent charge added to the group rate. If the plan is self-funded, that extension is not available, so line up a Marketplace or private plan before March.

Can I get a private plan in Texas after open enrollment closes?

Yes. You can apply in any month and, if approved, a private plan can start the first of a month; the insurer can decline based on health answers.

More for Texas

Official sources: HealthCare.gov, the federal Marketplace; HealthCare.gov: special enrollment periods. FC Insurance Solutions is an independent, licensed brokerage and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance broker in Texas and 30 other states, NPN 21032307. Last updated November 3, 2026.