Open enrollment season is here, and the early numbers aren’t pretty. According to KFF, ACA marketplace insurers are proposing roughly a 15% premium increase for 2027, the second-highest proposed rate change since 2018. Marketplace enrollment opens Nov. 1, and many Texas employer plans are already in their enrollment window, so the timing matters for households across Ellis County trying to set a budget for next year.

The squeeze is sharper in Texas, which leads the nation in uninsured rates. When premiums rise, more families end up deciding between coverage and other bills. There’s a second wrinkle this year: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is dropping Medicare Advantage plans in the new year, and Houston’s Memorial Hermann is dropping them too. Members on those plans should review their options now rather than waiting for January. As one industry insider told Spectrum News, “The insurance marketplace is worse and worse every year,” adding that “the only thing worse than having health insurance is not.”

So what can you actually do? Don’t auto-renew. Compare at least two or three plans, confirm your doctors and prescriptions are still in network, and check your subsidy estimate before you commit. If you’re on Medicare Advantage, read every piece of mail from your plan carefully. Enrollment windows close quietly, and the calendar doesn’t wait. What’s your plan for keeping health coverage affordable this year?