State profile · TX · CMS + NAIC
Texas marketplace insurers denied 20.1% of claims (15th of 30 states); drivers average $1429/yr for auto cover, #13 nationally by cost.
The verdict
Marketplace insurers in Texas deny 20.1% of claims - near the 20% national average, the 15th-highest of 30 states, and drivers pay an average $1429 a year for auto cover, more than the $1191 national average (the 13th-most-expensive of 51 states).
2019: $1144 average expenditure
$1,144 avg expenditure
2020: $1085 average expenditure
$1,085 avg expenditure
2021: $1123 average expenditure
$1,123 avg expenditure
2022: $1233 average expenditure
$1,233 avg expenditure
2023: $1429 average expenditure
$1,429 avg expenditure
What this shows Texas drivers' average auto cost rose 25% between 2019 and 2023.
Year over year, Texas's average auto expenditure rose 15.9% from 2022 to 2023, part of a 25% increase (+$285) since 2019. See the full 5-year state-by-state comparison.
Texas auto rates in detail →Texas: $1429/yr average auto expenditure (this state)
$1,429 avg expenditure
Colorado: $1453/yr average auto expenditure
$1,453 avg expenditure
Michigan: $1443/yr average auto expenditure
$1,443 avg expenditure
Connecticut: $1394/yr average auto expenditure
$1,394 avg expenditure
South Carolina: $1367/yr average auto expenditure
$1,367 avg expenditure
Same 1,000-claim floor as the table, ordered by rate
Imperial Insurance Companies, Inc.: 39.6% denied (1,706 of 4,307)
40 % of claims denied
Community First Insurance Plans: 32.5% denied (38,695 of 119,190)
33 % of claims denied
Oscar Insurance Company: 29.8% denied (1,050,350 of 3,521,352)
30 % of claims denied
Moda Health Plan, Inc.: 28.3% denied (42,672 of 150,551)
28 % of claims denied
Community Health Choice, Inc.: 24.9% denied (1,858,344 of 7,456,561)
25 % of claims denied
Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc.: 24.9% denied (259,999 of 1,045,155)
25 % of claims denied
Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc.: 24.0% denied (1,014,124 of 4,219,841)
24 % of claims denied
UnitedHealthcare of Texas, Inc.: 24.0% denied (4,802,293 of 20,047,828)
24 % of claims denied
Sendero Health Plans, Inc.: 22.5% denied (111,487 of 494,650)
23 % of claims denied
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas: 19.4% denied (11,935,065 of 61,503,844)
19 % of claims denied
What this shows A high rate on a smaller book is not evidence of the most denied claims in Texas.
Same filing sample, ordered by denied count rather than rate
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas: 11,935,065 denied of 61,503,844 (19.4%)
11,935,065 denied claims
UnitedHealthcare of Texas, Inc.: 4,802,293 denied of 20,047,828 (24.0%)
4,802,293 denied claims
Celtic Insurance Company: 2,910,681 denied of 17,913,148 (16.2%)
2,910,681 denied claims
Community Health Choice, Inc.: 1,858,344 denied of 7,456,561 (24.9%)
1,858,344 denied claims
Superior Health Plan: 1,701,470 denied of 8,781,270 (19.4%)
1,701,470 denied claims
Scott and White Health Plan: 1,476,355 denied of 9,635,438 (15.3%)
1,476,355 denied claims
Oscar Insurance Company: 1,050,350 denied of 3,521,352 (29.8%)
1,050,350 denied claims
Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc.: 1,014,124 denied of 4,219,841 (24.0%)
1,014,124 denied claims
Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc.: 259,999 denied of 1,045,155 (24.9%)
259,999 denied claims
CHRISTUS Health Plan: 252,195 denied of 1,459,196 (17.3%)
252,195 denied claims
What this shows Denied-claim count is a volume rank. It is not a restatement of the rate ranking.
Imperial Insurance Companies, Inc. reports the highest marketplace denial rate in Texas at 39.6% on 4,307 received claims. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas reports the most denied claims (11,935,065) at 19.4% - a different rank, not a second reading of the same list.
14 insurers reporting marketplace claims in Texas
| # | Insurer | Claims | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imperial Insurance Companies, Inc. F | 4,307 | 1,706 | |
| 2 | Community First Insurance Plans F | 119,190 | 38,695 | |
| 3 | Oscar Insurance Company F | 3,521,352 | 1,050,350 | |
| 4 | Moda Health Plan, Inc. F | 150,551 | 42,672 | |
| 5 | Community Health Choice, Inc. D | 7,456,561 | 1,858,344 | |
| 6 | Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc. D | 1,045,155 | 259,999 | |
| 7 | Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. D | 4,219,841 | 1,014,124 | |
| 8 | UnitedHealthcare of Texas, Inc. D | 20,047,828 | 4,802,293 | |
| 9 | Sendero Health Plans, Inc. D | 494,650 | 111,487 | |
| 10 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas C | 61,503,844 | 11,935,065 | |
| 11 | Superior Health Plan C | 8,781,270 | 1,701,470 | |
| 12 | CHRISTUS Health Plan B | 1,459,196 | 252,195 | |
| 13 | Celtic Insurance Company C | 17,913,148 | 2,910,681 | |
| 14 | Scott and White Health Plan A | 9,635,438 | 1,476,355 |
Among carriers with enough reported claims to compare, Texas's highest marketplace denial rates in this dataset belong to Imperial Insurance Companies, Inc. (39.6%), Community First Insurance Plans (32.5%), and Oscar Insurance Company (29.8%).
The 3 largest insurers account for 73% of the 136,352,331 claims represented here, so the statewide rate reflects a more distributed set of reporting carriers than in the most concentrated state samples. Only insurers with at least 1,000 claims in the CMS filing are included, so this is a description of the available dataset rather than the full insurance market.
Oscar Insurance Company: 9,061 of 38,325 reported appeals overturned
24 appeals overturned (%)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas: 11,397 of 22,641 reported appeals overturned
50 appeals overturned (%)
UnitedHealthcare of Texas, Inc.: 4,333 of 12,386 reported appeals overturned
35 appeals overturned (%)
Scott and White Health Plan: 3,157 of 5,246 reported appeals overturned
60 appeals overturned (%)
CHRISTUS Health Plan: 1,337 of 4,256 reported appeals overturned
31 appeals overturned (%)
What this shows Across the 10 carriers with at least 100 reported appeals in Texas, 36.9% of reported appeals were overturned (33,309 of 90,181). This filing field describes reported outcomes, not the likelihood that an individual claim will change.
Evidence map
The order below follows the evidence with the greatest bearing on this state record, while keeping the CMS claims filing, NAIC cost series, and state-rule context distinct.
Auto-cost position
Texas's 2023 average auto expenditure was $1429, 13th of 51 jurisdictions by cost and 20.0% above the national average. The figure reflects the coverage mix recorded by NAIC, not an individual driver's quote.
Marketplace claims filing
Texas's reporting insurers denied 20.1% of submitted marketplace claims, ranking 15th among the 30 states with a comparable federal filing. This is a carrier-reported claims measure, not a consumer-complaint rate or a prediction of how an individual claim will be resolved.
Reporting-sample shape
The 3 largest reporting insurers represent 73% of the 136,352,331 claims in this page's CMS sample. The rate is spread across more reporting carriers than in the most concentrated state samples.
State insurance rules
Texas uses an at-fault (tort) auto-insurance system: the driver responsible for an accident, or their insurer, is liable for the other party's damages -- unlike the 12 no-fault states. Texas's insurance commissioner is an appointed office (in most states, by the governor), not an elected position -- one of 39 states structured this way.
Nearest expenditure peers. By average auto expenditure, Texas's closest peers in PlainInsurer's dataset are Michigan ($1443/yr) and Colorado ($1453/yr) -- both within a few dollars of Texas's own $1429/yr.
Border comparison. Texas borders Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Texas's auto costs run higher than 1 of them and lower than 3, by average auto expenditure -- geography is one of several factors (alongside regulation and risk pool) that shapes these differences, not a direct cause.
Rate regulation and guaranty-fund coverage are state-specific, so a state record can differ from an insurer's national average. Sources: CMS Transparency in Coverage PUF PY2026; NAIC 2023 Auto Insurance Database; Insurance Information Institute; Ballotpedia.
State insurance-department directory links come from NAIC. PlainInsurer is not affiliated with NAIC or CMS.
Every figure on PlainInsurer comes directly from NAIC MCAS and CMS Transparency in Coverage data; no editor types in numbers. See our editorial standards or methodology, or report an error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Grades measure only the published complaint/denial data; we don't recommend any insurer or policy.