Ranked 12 of 15 states · median $807/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old event planner in Texas pays a median $807/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 12th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $540 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas in Cameron. On counties covered, Texas ranks 1 of 15 for this occupation.
Once your work crosses county and state lines, network geography stops being a detail and becomes the whole decision. An HMO contracted in one metro leaves you paying cash 200 miles down the road, and a handful of states filed no PPO at all for 2026. These rankings lead with reach.
Occupational context: Long standing hours; heavy lifting; high-stress event days.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in Texas are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a event planner in one Texas county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | $786 | Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan | $6,000 | 3 |
| Hansford | $796 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas | $4,000 | 3 |
| Swisher | $796 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas | $4,000 | 3 |
| Jim Hogg | $883 | UnitedHealthcare | $6,000 | 2 |
| Scurry | $894 | Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan | $6,000 | 3 |
| Wichita | $913 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas | $4,000 | 1 |
The spread across just these six is $126/month — $1,518 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $540 to $1,409. Coverage by County publishes all 254 Texas counties individually.
| Texas — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 254 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 7 (3%) |
| Plan types available | EPO, HMO, POS |
| PPO available on exchange | No |
| Carriers filing in the state | 15 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $540 — Cameron |
Texas has no PPO plans on the exchange at all. For a event planner covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 7 of 254 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 13,013 plan records across 254 Texas counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Kansas ($765), Florida ($789), Utah ($805). More expensive: North Carolina ($828), Arkansas ($828), Nebraska ($875).
Side-by-side: Texas vs Florida · Texas vs Utah · Texas vs North Carolina · Texas vs Arkansas
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Texas is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a event planner weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Self-employed Event Planners in Texas typically deduct: Travel, liability insurance, software, sample costs. Health premiums sit separately, above the line under IRC §162(l), and only when neither you nor a spouse could have joined an employer plan — eligibility disqualifies you even if you declined the coverage.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Texas is $540 per month from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, with a state median of $807. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Texas uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
No. Only EPO and HMO and POS plans were filed for 2026.
Texas ranks 12 of 15 states covered here, at a median $807 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation is below the cliff in all 21 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (SOC 13-1121) in Texas. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed event planner. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Texas specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Event Planners in Texas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Texas loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 14 filing here. For Event Planners that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Texas has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in Texas regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
There is still no PPO on the Texas marketplace — not in any of its 254 counties. Every plan is an HMO, EPO or POS, which for an event planner working across a wide area is the binding constraint, not price.
You already know you are changing plans — Cigna is leaving. The only real question is whether you pick the replacement or the marketplace picks it for you, and that is a much easier decision made in August than in the second week of December.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
The sticker price is rarely what Event Planners in Texas end up paying. Start with a ZIP and I will work out your actual number.