Ranked 12 of 15 states · median $807/mo · CMS PY2026
Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 21 States
A 40-year-old flooring contractor 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 highest out-of-pocket maximum, Texas ranks 13 of 15 for this occupation.
Trade work concentrates cost into rare, expensive events rather than spreading it across the year. That inverts the usual shopping logic: a lower premium with a $9,200 ceiling is a worse deal than a higher premium with a $6,000 one, because the ceiling is what you actually hit. These rankings follow the ceiling.
Occupational context: Knee and back injury; adhesive and dust inhalation.
Two things get confused here constantly. Risk exposure decides what coverage you should buy. It does not decide what you are charged — Texas carriers rate on age, ZIP, tobacco and family size, full stop. A flooring contractor with a bad back and a healthy 40-year-old office worker in the same county see the same number.
Premium is set by rating area, so a flooring contractor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ector | $645 | Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan | $6,000 | 4 |
| Starr | $649 | Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan | $6,000 | 3 |
| Rains | $653 | CHRISTUS | $5,990 | 4 |
| Refugio | $656 | CHRISTUS | $5,990 | 4 |
| Jim Wells | $676 | CHRISTUS | $6,000 | 3 |
| Galveston | $681 | UnitedHealthcare | $0 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $37/month — $438 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 — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $0 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $467 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas |
| Gold deductible | $500 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $540 — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $754 |
For a flooring contractor, the gap between $0 and $0 in annual out-of-pocket maximum is worth more than any premium difference on this page. One serious injury reaches that ceiling regardless of which plan you picked.
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
This only matters if you can actually choose — you buy in the state where you live, not where you work. If you are a flooring contractor who moved this year, that move is a qualifying life event and opens a special enrollment period.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Tools, van, materials, knee protection, liability insurance. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
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.
No. Under the ACA, carriers cannot rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Rates vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size.
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.
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 Flooring Contractors in Texas and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.