Texas Health Insurance Broker & Agent: Compare Private Plans
November 14, 2026 · by Bernie Sobalvarro
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Led by Bernie Sobalvarro, Senior Advisor, with his team of licensed agents
Need a Texas health insurance broker or agent who shops more than one carrier? I am Bernie Sobalvarro, Senior Advisor at Sobal Nationwide Health and an independent, licensed broker (NPN 19189235) licensed in Texas and 30 other states. With my team of licensed agents, I help Texans by phone or webinar screen share in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and everywhere in between. We represent you, not one insurer.
Texans usually call after looking up a plan on their own, seeing that their income is too high for a subsidy, and balking at the full premium. If you are healthy, private, medically underwritten or off-exchange coverage may be an option, and we lay it beside the full-price ACA plan. My Texas license is listed on the NIPR license lookup and on our state licenses page.
Who our brokers help in Texas: six common situations
These are the six situations our brokers see most from Texas. We do not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans. If you are in good health, private underwritten coverage is usually worth pricing beside a full-price plan.
- Turning 26
Aging off a parent’s plan
Turning 26 in Texas means finding your own coverage. Healthy young adults often look at private, medically underwritten plans; we set them next to a full-price ACA plan so you see both.
- High earners
Priced a plan, got no subsidy
Already looked up coverage and saw no premium help? That is where many Texas clients start. Healthy applicants can compare underwritten private coverage with the full-price option before deciding.
- Self-employed & 1099
Self-employed, 1099 and freelance
Consultants, contractors and freelancers in Houston with no employer plan. We compare individual private and full-price plans; the premium deduction question goes to your tax professional.
- Leaving a job / COBRA
Off a group plan
Sold the business, went part-time or got laid off around Dallas? Before you sign the COBRA election, we compare it with private and full-price individual options.
- Families
Families comparing employer coverage
Families in Dallas and across Texas often find the employer family rate higher than expected. We compare it with individual private and full-price plans, by phone or webinar screen share.
- Small business 2–30
Small business, 2–30 employees
Own a company with 2 to 30 employees? We compare a small group plan with individual private coverage for you and your team before you decide.
Situations overlap: a business owner leaving COBRA, a family with a 26-year-old. We build one comparison around all of it.
A Texas health insurance broker from Houston to El Paso
This is our statewide Texas page. Houston clients can also see our Houston health insurance broker page. We work the same way with people in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Austin, Round Rock, San Antonio, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Lubbock and the Rio Grande Valley: a short call by phone or webinar screen share, then a written side-by-side.
Texas has 3,517,343 small businesses, and 3,023,525 of them have no paid employees. Small businesses employ about 5.1 million people, 44.4 percent of Texas employees (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 profile). Owner-operators, consultants and contractors make up much of our Texas work; truck drivers can start with our owner-operator guide. Premium deductibility for the self-employed depends on your situation, so check with a tax professional; this is not tax advice.
For 2027, Texas uses HealthCare.gov as its marketplace (KFF, 2027 marketplace types). Once you have seen the prices there, the question becomes what HealthCare.gov does not list, which is private, medically underwritten coverage. Agents who sell health insurance in Texas are licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance.
Private and off-exchange health insurance in Texas
Off-exchange means the policy is bought directly from the insurer or through a broker, not on HealthCare.gov. It may be an ACA-compliant plan or a different kind of coverage with its own rules, and federal premium help is not available off the exchange (KFF). For Texans who would not qualify for meaningful premium help, that point carries less weight.
Underwritten plans include health questions, and the insurer may approve the application, adjust the terms or turn it down. Pre-existing conditions can be excluded or limited, and these plans lack some ACA protections (Georgetown CHIR). Plenty of Texans ask about private plans with PPO-style networks; some private plans offer them, but it depends on the county and the specific plan, so we verify first. If you are healthy, the trade-off is usually worth a quote.
How a Texas health insurance broker compares your options
Every option goes on a single sheet next to the full-price ACA plan: whether your doctors and hospital systems in Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth or Austin are in network, network type, deductible and out-of-pocket limit, what is covered or excluded, pre-existing condition terms, renewal and premium. We never promise "any doctor"; we check yours against each plan.
ACA plans must take everyone regardless of health, and underwritten plans can decline. If approval looks unlikely or a condition would be excluded, we will tell you early that the full-price ACA plan is probably the better fit.
Applying outside open enrollment in Texas
ACA individual-market plans, whether bought on or off the exchange, are sold only in open enrollment or a special enrollment period (45 CFR 147.104). Medically underwritten plans outside the ACA individual market generally do not follow that calendar, so applying mid-year is often possible. We confirm the plan's start date and availability before you apply.
Small business health insurance in Texas
Run a Texas company with a handful of employees? We can price a small group plan against individual private coverage for you and your staff. See our small business page for how that works.
Talk with a Texas health insurance agent
Bring your zip code and the birthdates of everyone to be covered. Plan on about 15 minutes by phone or webinar screen share; you receive a written comparison afterward, nothing to sign, in English or Spanish. Family elsewhere? We are licensed in 31 states, including Florida. Our Texas coverage guide has more background, and every state we serve is on the state licenses page.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a licensed health insurance agent in Texas?
Yes. I am licensed in Texas as a health insurance agent, NPN 19189235, and my team includes other licensed agents. We are based in Florida and help Texas clients by phone or webinar screen share, from Houston to El Paso. The license is listed on the NIPR lookup.
I priced a full-price plan in Texas and it was too much. What are my private options?
For healthy applicants, a private underwritten plan may be available. It uses health questions, approval is not guaranteed and pre-existing conditions can be limited (Georgetown CHIR). We line it up against the full-price plan you priced.
What is off-exchange health insurance in Texas?
A plan bought outside HealthCare.gov. Some meet ACA rules and some are other kinds of coverage; federal premium help is limited to exchange plans (KFF).
Can I get private health insurance in Texas outside open enrollment?
Often, depending on the plan. ACA individual-market plans follow enrollment windows, while medically underwritten plans outside that market generally do not. We check the plan you are looking at.
I’m turning 26. What are my health insurance options in Texas?
Ask the parent’s plan when your dependent coverage ends, since it is usually at 26 but dates differ (HealthCare.gov). Then compare: a full-price ACA plan with no health questions, or a private, medically underwritten plan that may cost less if you are healthy but can limit pre-existing conditions.
Should I take COBRA or look at other plans in Texas?
No. COBRA lets you keep your employer’s group plan for a limited time, but you may pay the entire premium, up to 102% of the plan’s cost (U.S. Department of Labor). Losing job-based coverage is also generally a qualifying event for ACA plans, and healthy applicants can price private, medically underwritten plans. We compare all three before your election deadline.
Do I pay more if I use a health insurance broker?
No. Brokers are paid by the insurer, so the premium is the same as buying direct.
Do you sell Medicare plans in Texas?
No. We do not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans.
Want to talk with a licensed advisor about private or full-price plans? Get a Quote. Hablamos Español. More general questions are on the FAQ page.
Sobal Nationwide Health does not sell Medicare or Medicaid plans.
Licensed Health Insurance Advisor · NPN 19189235 · Licensed in 31 states · Hablamos Español
