Texas · Plan year 2026 · The age curve
Health insurance cost by age in Texas
A Texan turning 64 pays about 3.00× what a 21-year-old pays for the very same plan — the median monthly premium climbs from $521.32 to $1563.92 statewide. Here is the whole curve, from official rate filings.
Source: CMS Exchange Public Use Files · imported 2026-07-28 · methodology
| Age | Texas (median) | Houston (RA10) | Dallas (RA8) | Fort Worth (RA25) | San Antonio (RA18) | Austin (RA3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | $521.32 | $506.21 | $540.23 | $561.66 | $482.26 | $510.42 |
| 25 | $523.39 | $508.22 | $542.39 | $563.90 | $484.19 | $512.46 |
| 30 | $591.69 | $574.53 | $613.16 | $637.47 | $547.37 | $579.33 |
| 35 | $637.04 | $618.57 | $660.15 | $686.34 | $589.32 | $623.73 |
| 40 | $666.23 | $646.92 | $690.41 | $717.79 | $616.33 | $652.32 |
| 45 | $752.77 | $730.95 | $780.09 | $811.02 | $696.38 | $737.05 |
| 50 | $931.06 | $904.07 | $964.85 | $1003.11 | $861.32 | $911.61 |
| 55 | $1162.52 | $1128.82 | $1204.70 | $1252.48 | $1075.44 | $1138.24 |
| 60 | $1414.83 | $1373.82 | $1466.18 | $1524.32 | $1308.86 | $1385.28 |
| 63 | $1538.91 | $1494.29 | $1594.75 | $1657.99 | $1423.63 | $1506.76 |
| 64+ | $1563.92 | $1518.59 | $1620.67 | $1684.95 | $1446.77 | $1531.26 |
Median monthly premium for one non-smoking adult across all marketplace medical plans priced in each area, before subsidies. RA = rating area, the geographic pricing zone Texas insurers must use.
Why the curve looks like this
The Affordable Care Act caps how steeply insurers can rate by age: an adult 64 or older may be charged at most three times the 21-year-old price. Texas carriers use the federal standard age curve, so the shape is identical across plans — flat through the twenties, a steady climb from the mid-thirties, and the steepest jumps after 50. What differs by county is the starting point of the curve, which is set by your rating area. Look up your county's numbers on the Texas cost page.
Three practical takeaways
- Turning 26 and leaving a parent's plan? You enter near the bottom of the curve — this is the cheapest coverage decade of adult life.
- In your late fifties or early sixties? The years before Medicare are the priciest to insure; the gap between areas matters most here, in dollar terms.
- Comparing quotes? If a price seems triple someone else's, check ages before assuming it's a different plan — it may be the same plan on a different point of the curve.