Texas Health Insurance

Health insurance protects you before you get hurt or sick.  

If you get hurt or sick and need to go to the doctor, health insurance protects you from paying high medical bills.  

Health insurance is also called a health benefit plan. Health benefit plans cover preventative services like wellness visits, shots, and screening tests. These services help you stay healthy and avoid future health problems.

You can get health insurance through:  

• Your employer if they offer health insurance. If you lose your job, you can stay on the plan through COBRA  
• A membership, union, or church 
• An insurance company or agent 
• The health marketplace 
• Your parent’s plan until age 26 
• Your spouse’s plan 
• Your college or university if they have a student health plan  
• Government programs (see below)

If you own a small business with employees, learn about small employer health insurance. 

Federal and State programs help people with limited or no money.  

Government health insurance and benefit programs have options for: 

• Children and pregnant women through the Children’s Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Adults who may not be able to afford private coverage through Medicaid
• Most adults over age 65 and people with disabilities through Medicare

Alternative health plans can help save money but may limit health coverage. Learn more about alternative health plans.   

If you do not have health insurance, you can contact your local community health center for assistance. 

These centers provide high quality, low-cost health care on a sliding fee scale to individuals and their families regardless of age, health, insurance, or immigration status. 

Insurance you buy from a company or the marketplace is individual insurance. It’s sold to individuals, not to members of a certain group.  

You can buy individual coverage through: 

• An insurance company or health maintenance organization (HMO) 
• A licensed health insurance agent who has a relationship with one or more insurance companies 
• Healthcare.gov, the online federal health insurance Marketplace 
• The Plan Finder on Healthcare.gov for individuals and small businesses 
• A Navigator approved to help with Marketplace enrollment