Texas health insurers are filing their proposed 2027 marketplace rates this summer after enhanced federal premium subsidies that supported Affordable Care Act coverage for millions expired.
The filings come as about four million Texans who buy their own insurance face a second consecutive year of higher out-of-pocket costs. Carriers submit 2027 rate filings to state and federal regulators between June and August.
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates the expiration of the enhanced tax credits will increase what marketplace enrollees pay by about 114% nationally, or an estimated $1,016 more per year.
The enhanced premium tax credits, first enacted in 2021 and expanded in 2022, expired at the end of 2025 after Congress declined to renew them. For Texas, KFF projects that enrollees who use ACA tax credits will pay about 115% more — roughly $456 more per year — for the same coverage.
The benchmark monthly premium for a 40-year-old Texan increased from $489 before credits in 2025 to about $661 in 2026, according to KFF figures reported by The Texas Tribune, after Texas insurers raised premiums by an average of about 35% for the 2026 plan year.
KFF estimates the combination of higher premiums and smaller subsidies could reduce Texas marketplace enrollment by about one million people over the coming years.
Beginning in 2026, the Texas Department of Insurance required insurers to apply a 40% “load” to silver-plan premiums to account for unfunded cost-sharing reductions, a pricing practice known as silver loading.
Because ACA subsidies are based on the benchmark silver plan, higher silver-plan premiums increase the value of federal premium tax credits, which can lower the cost of bronze and gold plans for subsidized enrollees.
According to healthinsurance.org, the rule may have contributed to Texas outperforming the national enrollment trend. Marketplace enrollment declined by about 5% nationally but increased by about 5% in Texas to approximately 4.17 million plan selections through Jan. 15, 2026, according to The Texas Tribune. Texas was one of nine states to record higher marketplace enrollment than the previous year.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects its 2027 ACA marketplace rule will reduce national enrollment by up to two million people. Insurers preparing 2027 rate filings are incorporating claims experience following the expiration of the enhanced subsidies.
The Texas Department of Insurance reviews carrier rate filings, network adequacy and consumer complaints, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administers enrollment through the federal marketplace.
Supporters of restoring the enhanced premium tax credits, including the Texas Hospital Association, say maintaining coverage reduces uncompensated care costs. Opponents in Congress have argued the enhanced subsidies were too costly and should not be made permanent.
The Texas Department of Insurance is expected to complete its review of 2027 rate filings this fall. Final marketplace premiums will be posted before open enrollment begins in November.