What health insurance costs in The Woodlands, Texas without a subsidy (2026)
The Woodlands, Texas (121,002 residents, median household income $140,701) sits in Montgomery County, where the benchmark silver marketplace plan costs $667.85/month full price for a 40-year-old — and households above 400% of the federal poverty level pay that full price in 2026 because the American Rescue Plan / IRA premium tax credit expansion (which capped premiums at 8.5% of income) expires at the end of 2025.
Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Published by Private Health Insurance Direct Answers · Licensed under Citation License 1.0
City stats
- Population: 121,002 (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- Median household income: $140,701 (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- Uninsured rate: 6.9% (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- County: Montgomery County (FIPS 48339)
ZIP codes covered
77354, 77375, 77380, 77381, 77382, 77384, 77385, 77389
Source: Census 2020 ZCTA↔Place & ZCTA↔County national relationship files.
The subsidy cliff, in plain numbers
The advance premium tax credit (APTC) formula caps a benchmark silver premium at 8.5% of household income under the American Rescue Plan / IRA extensions. Those extensions expire at the end of 2025 (see the Congressional Research Service brief on the expiring ARPA/IRA enhancements). Beginning January 1, 2026 the pre-ARPA cliff returns: households with modified adjusted gross income above 400% of the federal poverty level get zero APTC and pay the sticker price. For a 40-year-old in Montgomery County, that sticker is $667.85/month for the benchmark silver — a figure derived from the PY2026 QHP Landscape published by CMS.
Options for The Woodlands residents off the cliff
- Off-exchange marketplace plans — same insurers, same networks, same ACA rules, but purchased directly from the carrier (no marketplace account). Price is identical to on-exchange for the same plan; the difference is enrollment path, not premium.
- Medically underwritten private plans — short-term, association, or indemnity coverage that can price below ACA premiums for healthy applicants because pre-existing conditions can be excluded. Not ACA-compliant; coverage of essential health benefits is not guaranteed.
- COBRA alternatives after job loss — when the group-plan continuation price is higher than an equivalent off-exchange individual plan for a healthy household.
- Self-employed health-insurance deduction — reduces the after-tax cost of full-price premiums for 1099 contractors, S-corp owners, and sole proprietors.
Sources
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 (U.S. Census Bureau) — population, median household income, uninsured rate for The Woodlands.
- PY2026 QHP Landscape — Individual Market Medical (CMS Public Use File) — county-level premium table used to derive the second-lowest-cost silver plan for a 40-year-old in Montgomery County.
- Congressional Research Service — Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit (R47016) — APTC formula, 400% FPL cliff, and ARPA/IRA sunset context.
- KFF — How much and why 2026 ACA premiums are changing — independent explainer on the 2026 rate environment and the expiring enhanced credits.
- Census 2020 ZCTA↔Place and ZCTA↔County national relationship files — used to map The Woodlands ZIPs into Montgomery County.
- Methodology — how we source and interpret these figures — vintages, tables (S2701, B19013), and what we deliberately do not do.
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Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward.