Beaumont sits where Texas oil began. Spindletop blew in just south of town in 1901, and the refineries and chemical plants that followed still set the rhythm of the Golden Triangle economy. Plant jobs come with strong group benefits, but the region also runs on contractors, and a turnaround worker between projects has very different coverage needs than a salaried operator.
The rules here
| Max initial term (short-term) | Less than 12 months |
| Max total duration | 36 months (Tex. Ins. Code ch. 1509) |
| Products available | ACA marketplace, short-term, extended short-term, fixed indemnity, supplemental |
| Exchange type | Federal marketplace (HealthCare.gov) |
| Medicaid expansion | No |
What's available in Beaumont
| Coverage line | Available here | Key limit | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace plans | Yes | Open enrollment or a qualifying event | ACA plans |
| Short-term medical | Yes | Initial term under 12 months | Short-term |
| Extended short-term (multi-year) | Yes | Up to 36 months total | Extended plans |
| Fixed indemnity | Yes | Pays set cash amounts, not a substitute for major medical | Fixed indemnity |
| Supplemental (accident, critical illness, dental, vision) | Yes | Pairs with other coverage | Accident · Critical illness · Dental · Vision |
Short-term and fixed indemnity plans are not ACA compliant and do not count as minimum essential coverage. They are medically underwritten and typically exclude pre-existing conditions.
What one person pays for coverage in Texas
Average monthly premiums for individual coverage. Family pricing differs; quotes are individual.
| Coverage type | Monthly premium (individual) | What that number is |
|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace (before subsidy) | $709 avg. | State average, before tax credits (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| ACA marketplace (after average subsidy) | $41 after credit | State average, after the average tax credit, among subsidized enrollees (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| Employer coverage (single / family) | $653 / $2009 single / family | State average total monthly premium, single / family; employee pays about $126/mo toward single coverage (MEPS-IC, 2024).2 |
| Medicaid | $0 or nominal for those who qualify | Program design, not an average; eligibility is income-based5 |
| Fixed indemnity | $235.39 mean | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Texas with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
| Accident | $44.20 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Texas with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
| Critical Illness | $30.72 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Texas with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
| Dental | $46.02 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Texas with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
For the self-employed in Beaumont, the individual marketplace benchmark above is the reference point. Subsidy eligibility depends on projected household income and family size, and no projection is a guarantee. A licensed agent can check the math against your actual situation.
Averages from federal data and our own client base, not quotes. Your price depends on your age, household, income, and plan choice.
Beaumont at a glance
Beaumont anchors the Golden Triangle alongside Port Arthur and Orange, a corridor of refineries and petrochemical plants that ranks among the country's densest energy processing regions. Lamar University and the port add education and shipping jobs to an economy that still traces its lineage to the Spindletop gusher.
| Population | County | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| ~115,000 | Jefferson (FIPS 48245) | Beaumont-Port Arthur |
Three Beaumont situations
Curtis, 45, pipefitter working plant turnarounds. He might work nine months straight, then sit idle for three. Union or staffing-agency coverage comes and goes with the job. An extended short-term plan gives him continuous underwritten coverage for up to 36 months across those cycles, though it will not touch the shoulder condition he already carries.
Alicia, 28, opened a salon on Calder Avenue. First year in business, income still unpredictable. If her projection lands in subsidy range, a marketplace plan may cost far less than she assumes. If she guesses too low and drops under the poverty line on paper, Texas's non-expansion rules could leave her without the subsidy, so a careful projection is worth an hour of her time.
Herman, 63, took early retirement from a refinery. Two years to Medicare, ongoing diabetes management. Underwritten products will exclude exactly what he needs covered, so a marketplace plan is the sound bridge, and his pension income may still qualify for a partial subsidy.
How Texas's rules work
Texas Insurance Code chapter 1509 permits short-term plans with an initial term under 12 months and renewals reaching 36 months in total. TDI describes the ceiling as up to 3 years. This is state law and does not hinge on federal policy; the tighter 2024 federal rule is currently not being enforced per the August 7, 2025 tri-agency statement.
The state's decision not to expand Medicaid shapes the low-income picture. An adult below the federal poverty level without dependent children generally cannot get Medicaid here and also cannot get a marketplace subsidy, which is the coverage gap. In a region where a plant layoff can zero out a household's income mid-year, that gap is worth understanding before it happens.
Beaumont residents enroll through HealthCare.gov between November 1 and January 15.
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Keep reading — more Texas guides
Premium data methodology. 1 Marketplace premium averages reflect the average monthly premium before advance premium tax credits, the average monthly premium after advance premium tax credits among subsidized enrollees, and the percentage of enrollees receiving advance premium tax credits, for Texas, as reported in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files, 2026 plan year, available at cms.gov. Figures are statewide averages across all metal tiers, ages, and household sizes; your premium will differ based on your age, household, income, county, and plan selection.
2 Employer coverage averages reflect the average total monthly premium for single and family coverage at private-sector establishments in Texas, including both employer and employee contributions, as reported in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS-IC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2024 tables, available at meps.ahrq.gov. Employee contribution figure reflects the average employee share of the single-coverage premium. Employer plan costs vary by employer, plan design, and firm size.
3 Client averages are calculated from GetHealthPlans.com (MTG Insurance Agency LLC) internal book-of-business records as of July 15, 2026 and reflect the median or mean monthly premium, as labeled, among active policies providing individual coverage (one covered person) of the stated product type held by our clients residing in the stated state or, where labeled agency-wide, across all states in which we operate. Family and multi-person policies are excluded so that figures reflect what one person pays. Figures are shown only for states and products where our records include a sufficient number of active individual policies to report a meaningful average, with a minimum of ten; combinations below that threshold are not shown. Where a figure is labeled "median," half of our client policies in that group pay less and half pay more. Our client base reflects the products we sell, skews toward medically underwritten coverage, and may not represent all buyers or all plans available in a state. These figures are historical averages of premiums actually paid by our clients, are not quotes, offers, or projections, and are not statements of what any individual will pay. Individual premiums are determined by the insurer at application based on age, location, term length, benefit selections, and underwriting outcomes.
4 No federal or state agency publishes average premium data for short-term limited duration insurance or fixed indemnity insurance. Where we do not display a client-base figure for these products, it is because we do not have sufficient policy volume in that state to report a meaningful average. Short-term and fixed indemnity products are medically underwritten, are not major medical coverage, are not required to cover pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits, and do not constitute minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
5 Medicaid and CHIP are public programs, not insurance products sold by this agency. Premiums are $0 or nominal for those who qualify; eligibility is determined by your state based on income, household size, and other factors. The figure shown describes program design, not an average. Contact your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov to check eligibility.