Health insurance topics specific to Texas, including small-group underwriting, carrier participation and contribution requirements, and state rules. Texas requires 75 percent participation for small groups and sets no minimum employer contribution.
In Texas, an eligible dependent who loses group coverage due to divorce can generally continue it for up to nine months under state continuation when federal COBRA doesn’t apply. Verify current Texas rules at enrollment.
Generally yes. Federal rules let a small-group insurer charge tobacco users up to 50% more (a 1.5:1 ratio), and Texas is not among the states that ban tobacco rating. Any surcharge a carrier uses must be applied uniformly, so check the carrier’s filed rates.
Texas law sets no minimum employer contribution. If a carrier requires one (most ask for about 50% of the employee-only premium), it must apply that rule the same way to every small employer.
Texas requires at least 75% of eligible employees to enroll (after removing those with other valid coverage) for a small group to be issued.