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Obamacare Plans in Texas Vary Widely in Price, Report Shows

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A new study from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation finds the cost of health insurance on the new federal marketplace varies widely in Texas.

A new study from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation finds the cost of health insurance on the new federal marketplace varies widely in Texas.

Researchers found almost half of Texans eligible for a tax subsidy for health insurance said plans were still too expensive. The Episcopal Health Foundation’s president, Elena Marks, says she and her colleagues went back to see what was unaffordable to many people.

"What we attempted to show is the amount that people would have to pay at different income levels based on where they lived and which kind of plan they bought," Marks says about September's Texas report, part of the Health Reform Monitoring Survey. [Read a PDF version here.]

In Texas, someone who earns $17,000 a year could find zero-premium plans, but those could come with high deductibles and copays, still making it expensive to actually get health care. The same plan would cost $150 a month, however, for someone earning $35,000 a year. Researchers found wide variation in cost, depending on where you live. For example, a person in Dallas would pay $80 a month more for one plan than the same person living in San Antonio.

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