Texas · Choosing a tier · Plan year 2026
Bronze, Silver, or Gold: what the filings actually say
Metal levels are a trade: pay monthly, or pay when you need care. Texas 2026 data adds a twist most shoppers miss — the median Gold plan costs $98.65 less per month than the median Silver. Here is the whole picture in one table.
Source: CMS Exchange Public Use Files (standard plan variants) · imported 2026-07-28 · methodology
The trade, in numbers (age 40, statewide)
| Metal level | Plans | Lowest premium | Median premium | Median deductible | Median out-of-pocket cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 29 | $320.39 | $451.99 | $10,600 | $10,600 |
| Bronze | 43 | $385.28 | $522.15 | $7,300 | $10,600 |
| Expanded Bronze | 182 | $352.15 | $494.19 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
| Silver | 303 | $539.67 | $761.97 | $6,000 | $9,300 |
| Gold | 277 | $466.97 | $663.32 | $2,000 | $8,200 |
Premiums for one non-smoking 40-year-old, before subsidies; deductibles and caps are in-network individual figures from each plan's standard variant. Premiums scale with age (see the curve); deductibles don't.
Why Gold can undercut Silver here
Silver plans are where the law delivers extra cost-sharing discounts to lower-income enrollees, and insurers price the expected cost of those discounts into Silver premiums. The result in Texas's 2026 filings: Silver carries a premium surcharge while Gold — which covers more of your bills — can cost less per month. If you don't qualify for cost-sharing reductions, comparing your shortlist's Gold options against Silver is one of the highest-value five minutes in this whole process.
A quick way to think about the choice
- Rarely see a doctor, have savings for a bad year → Bronze/Expanded Bronze: lowest premiums, but plan on the deductible (~$7,500) being yours to pay first.
- Qualify for cost-sharing reductions (income-based) → Silver, full stop: the discounts exist only there and can shrink that deductible dramatically.
- Regular prescriptions, ongoing care, or just want predictability → price out Gold: highest baseline coverage, and in Texas often not the highest premium.
- Under 30 → Catastrophic is on the table ($320.39+ even at 40's rates) — see the turning-26 guide.
Total yearly exposure = premiums × 12 + what you'd actually spend toward the deductible in a realistic bad year. Run both numbers before deciding; the cheapest column is rarely cheapest in a hospital year.