Health insurance is about to get more expensive for Texas small businesses. Projections for 2027 put the state’s premium increase at 16.88%, noticeably higher than the roughly 14% national average. For owners running lean operations, from the shops around the Ellis County courthouse square to contractors keeping up with new construction, that’s a cost that goes straight to the bottom line.

The impact isn’t hypothetical. A San Antonio artist who owns a retro arts shop with her husband says health benefits are the reason neither of them can leave their 9-to-5 jobs. Another owner moved her family from a PPO to a bare-bones HMO when the prices got too high. Stories like those are common among Texas entrepreneurs weighing coverage against growth, hiring, and retention.

There’s a potential path forward. Collective X, a new San Antonio nonprofit that launched in September, pools small businesses and nonprofits to buy coverage together, and it has already signed up 863 free members across 13 Texas cities. Pooled group insurance has existed in Texas for more than 30 years, and larger pools generally lower costs. Have you seen your premiums climb this year? Tell us how it’s affecting your business.