10/19/2026
I talked to a self-employed couple here in Texas last week. Combined income around a hundred thousand, which sounds comfortable until you see their only marketplace option: roughly twelve hundred a month for a plan with a fifteen thousand dollar deductible. In other words, they pay a fortune and still pay for almost everything themselves.
That is the subsidy cliff. Earn above the line and you get the full premium with no help, usually for a plan that is mostly one giant deductible. It hits self-employed folks, entrepreneur households, and small business owners the hardest.
Here is what the exchange will not mention: there is another lane. A private PPO with no income test, that you can start any day of the year, and the premiums are tax-deductible if you are self-employed. It is not automatically cheaper, but for a lot of people in this spot it is worth a real look.
Let's run your actual numbers. 713.808.1618.
Robert