Texas open enrollment 2027 Open enrollment · Texas

Texas Open Enrollment 2027 for Small Business Owners

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

Short answer

For small business owners 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. Your own coverage can also come from a private, medically underwritten plan, which does not wait for the window: if approved, it can start the first of any month.

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.

Group plans can renew at any point in the year, so open enrollment matters to owners for two reasons: an individual coverage HRA, or ICHRA, reimburses employees for individual plans they choose, and most of that shopping happens in this window; and an owner covering only the household buys in the individual market too. For your own household, the 2027 subsidy line is $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two and $132,000 for four.

Texas this year

Texas small employers face a steeper climb than individual buyers in 2027, with small-group premiums up about 16.9 percent while final individual increases run about 13.1 to 14.1 percent. Texas runs the nation's second-largest Marketplace, with about 15 insurers filing on HealthCare.gov, and the deepest choice in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have fewer options. For an Austin tech contractor, a Permian Basin oilfield service company, a Laredo freight operation or a Houston construction firm, that gap makes an ICHRA a serious alternative to simply signing the renewal.

Small-group plans in Texas average about 16.9% for 2027, against 13.1% to 14.1% for individual plans, so put this year's group renewal next to an ICHRA quote before you sign it.

One thing to do before you choose

Price an ICHRA with real plans, not averages. With nine or more insurers, plans at the same metal level can differ widely in price and network, and last year's bargain may not be one now. Check employees in El Paso or the Valley separately, since their options are thinner. Texans who choose by December 15 are covered from January 1, and the window closes January 15, 2027.

Your checklist

Your 2027 group renewal letter and its effective date
How many employees you have and where they live
A fixed monthly ICHRA budget you could offer
Your own household's coverage, priced separately

Private plan or Marketplace?

Private plan

For the owner's own household when everyone is healthy: priced on age, ZIP code and health. Approval depends on health answers; not an ACA Marketplace plan.

Marketplace

For employees on an ICHRA, or an owner with ongoing care: HealthCare.gov accepts everyone 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.

What Texas continuation option exists for staff who leave a small insured group?

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, so check how yours is funded.

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.