Sheppard Air Force Base is the largest single employer in Wichita Falls, and Midwestern State University keeps a steady flow of students and part-time staff moving through town. Add the ranching and energy work spread across Wichita County, much of it without benefits attached, and you get a city where a meaningful share of households buys coverage on its own. Texas gives those buyers one of the most flexible short-term markets in the country.
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 Wichita Falls
| 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 |
If you are self-employed in Wichita Falls, the individual marketplace benchmark above is your starting point. Whether a subsidy applies depends on your household income and size for the year, and an estimate is never a guarantee; a licensed agent can run the real math with you.
Averages from federal data and our own client base, not quotes. Your price depends on your age, household, income, and plan choice.
Wichita Falls at a glance
Wichita Falls sits near the Oklahoma line and anchors its own small metro, with Sheppard Air Force Base running one of the Air Force's biggest technical training operations. The base population turns over constantly, so separating service members, military spouses, and civilian contractors make up a noticeable slice of local coverage shoppers.
| Population | County | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| ~102,000 | Wichita (FIPS 48485) | Wichita Falls |
Three Wichita Falls situations
Marcus, 27, separating from Sheppard. Losing military coverage is a qualifying life event, so he can enroll in a marketplace plan right away. If he plans to relocate within a few months for work, an underwritten short-term plan may cost less as a bridge, provided he is healthy and understands pre-existing conditions will not be covered.
Dale, 51, owns a small welding outfit. He has no employees and no group plan. An extended short-term policy can lock in an underwritten rate for up to 36 months, though his shoulder history would likely be excluded. He weighs that against a marketplace plan that covers everything but costs more before subsidies.
Teresa, 44, works part time with income below the poverty line. Texas did not expand Medicaid, so she may fall into the coverage gap: too little income for marketplace subsidies, no Medicaid category that fits. Fixed indemnity or supplemental products can provide limited protection, and an agent should check whether projected income changes her subsidy eligibility.
How Texas's rules work
Texas Insurance Code chapter 1509 permits short-term plans with an initial term under 12 months and a total duration of up to 36 months, which the Texas Department of Insurance describes as up to 3 years. Because that limit is written into state law, it does not move with federal rulemaking. The 2024 federal rule that would have shortened these plans is currently not being enforced per the August 7, 2025 tri-agency statement, so the Texas statute is the operative limit.
The other fact that shapes coverage decisions here is Medicaid. Texas did not expand the program, so adults with income below the federal poverty level and no qualifying category can end up with no subsidized option at all. For those households, honesty matters: limited-benefit products can help with some bills, but they are not major medical insurance.
Texas uses HealthCare.gov, with open enrollment running November 1 through 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.