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Health Insurance for Travel Nurses in Virginia

Most travel nurses in Virginia are paid in ways that leave them shopping for their own coverage, whether they work around Northern Virginia or anywhere else in the state. Most of the ones I work with choose a private plan priced on their health, not their income, that can start any month if approved. Virginia Marketplace premiums are rising 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027, so the private option is worth pricing first.

Private health insurance in Virginia

Most travel nurses I help in Virginia end up on a private plan, not a Marketplace plan. Private, medically underwritten health insurance is priced on your age, zip code and health instead of your income, so a strong year never raises your premium and there is no tax credit to pay back in April.

Why people leave the Marketplace

Premiums keep climbing. Virginia Marketplace premiums are rising 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027.
The subsidy cliff. Above 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four) you pay full price.
Surprise tax bills. Underestimate your income and you repay the tax credit in April.
Narrow networks. Many plans are local HMOs or EPOs that need referrals and cover little outside the area.
High out-of-pocket costs. 2027 out-of-pocket maximums reach $12,000 per person and $24,000 per family.
One window a year. Outside open enrollment you need a qualifying life event to enroll or switch.

What a private plan does differently

Start any month. If approved, coverage can begin the first of next month, with no wait for open enrollment.
Networks that travel. Many private plans use national PPO networks, which can give you in-network doctors outside Virginia too. Networks vary by plan.
Can cost less than full-price Marketplace plans for some healthy applicants above the subsidy line.
Accident coverage the Marketplace does not offer. A private plan can be paired with accident coverage, a separate policy. What it includes varies by plan.
Approval is based on health. You answer health questions, and acceptance is not guaranteed.

With a significant health condition, or income low enough for a large tax credit, a Marketplace plan can be the better fit, and I will tell you if it is. Either way you see both side by side.

Private plans are not ACA Marketplace plans. Benefits, exclusions and pre-existing condition rules differ by plan and by state, so review the plan details before you enroll.

Get a private plan quote

Learn more: coverage not based on income · how underwriting works · private vs Obamacare · PPO plans for individuals · switching from the Marketplace

Virginia health insurance in 2027

Virginia's finalized 2027 increase averages about 16 to 17 percent for the individual market, depending on the tracker, with small-group plans up about 10.7 percent.

Marketplace rates: up 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027 (final).
Benchmark silver plan, age 40: $549 a month in 2027, up from $455 in 2026.
The subsidy cliff in Virginia: earning $1 over $63,840 costs a single 60-year-old about $7,466 more a year for that plan, and $1 over $86,560 costs a 60-year-old couple about $19,135.
Where to enroll: Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, the state's own exchange, which sets its own 2027 enrollment dates.

More: Virginia 2027 rate changes · 2027 subsidy cliff by state. General information, not tax advice.

How travel nurses work in Virginia

The same state survey shows how many Virginia nurses work outside a single steady job. About 4 percent are paid by contract or per diem at their main job, and 12 percent hold two or more positions at once. Only 63 percent of Virginia RNs have access to health insurance through an employer. Travel assignments end on a set date, and the next one may start in another state or weeks later. During that gap, agency coverage can stop, so many travel and 1099 nurses keep an individual plan that stays with them between contracts.

Virginia licensing for travel nurses

The Virginia Board of Nursing, part of the Department of Health Professions, licenses RNs and LPNs. Virginia is a Nurse Licensure Compact state and implemented the current compact on January 19, 2018, so a nurse whose primary residence is another compact state can work here on a multistate license and must get that license from the home state. Applicants licensed in a non-compact state apply online by endorsement, with a fingerprint background check, license verification and proof of primary residence. A 90-day temporary license is available only to applicants still waiting on a Social Security number.

The Virginia market for travel nurses

Virginia's 2025 nursing workforce survey from the Department of Health Professions counted 132,832 licensed RNs, with about 113,310 actually working in the state. Only 9 percent of RNs work in non-metro counties, even though 36 percent grew up in rural areas, so rural employers draw from a small local pool. A retirement wave is building: 21 percent of RNs expect to retire within ten years, and the data center projects retirements will reach 10 percent of the workforce every five years by 2035. Those numbers keep demand high for travel and per diem nurses.

Virginia coverage rules that apply to you

Leaving a job: Virginia requires insured group plans that are not subject to federal COBRA, which generally means employers with fewer than 20 employees, to offer 12 months of continuation after at least three months of coverage, at the group rate plus an administrative fee of up to 2 percent.
Short-term plans: Virginia law caps short-term plans at an initial term of three months and no more than six months of coverage in any 12-month period, a state limit that applies regardless of how federal rules are enforced.
Where to enroll: Virginia runs its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 29, 2027, with a December 15 deadline for coverage that starts January 1. Private, medically underwritten plans can start the first of any month if approved.
2027 rates: individual plans 15.8% to 16.9% on average. See the Virginia 2027 rate page.

The gap between contracts

Agency health plans usually end when an assignment ends, sometimes on the last day of that week or month. If your next contract starts three weeks later, you are uninsured in between unless you plan for it. Losing agency coverage opens a 60-day Marketplace special enrollment period, and if approved, a private plan can start the first of any month, so either can bridge the gap. Many travelers keep their own plan year-round and decline agency coverage so they never face a gap.

Keeping your own plan across states

A nurse who changes states every 13 weeks needs a plan that works where the contract is. Nationwide PPO networks travel well. A Marketplace plan is tied to your tax home, so if you work far from home you may have only emergency coverage there. Check the network for each assignment city before you sign.

Per diem and 1099 nursing

Per diem and independent contract nurses buy their own coverage and pay self-employment tax. Estimate a full year of net income for the Marketplace, including stipends only if they are taxable. General information, not tax advice — confirm with your CPA based on your specific entity structure.

When the Marketplace still makes sense

The Marketplace fits travel nurses with a significant health condition, because acceptance is guaranteed, and households whose 2027 income stays under 400 percent of the poverty level ($63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a family of four), where a tax credit lowers the price. Above that line it costs full price. The full guide for travel nurses goes deeper.

Quote for a travel nurse in Virginia

Private plans priced first, with the Marketplace alongside when it fits. No fee.

Get a quote (786) 218-2384

Questions from Virginia travel nurses

What license do travel nurses need in Virginia?

How much are Virginia health insurance premiums rising for 2027?

Individual-market premiums in Virginia are set to rise 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027. Households above 400 percent of the poverty level get no tax credit and pay the full increase.

What happens to my coverage if I leave a job in Virginia?

Virginia requires insured group plans that are not subject to federal COBRA, which generally means employers with fewer than 20 employees, to offer 12 months of continuation after at least three months of coverage, at the group rate plus an administrative fee of up to 2 percent. Losing employer coverage also opens a 60-day Marketplace special enrollment period, and if approved, a private plan can start the first of any month.

Should a travel nurse take the agency's health plan?

It can work for back-to-back contracts, but coverage usually ends with the assignment. Nurses with gaps between contracts often keep their own plan instead.

Can a travel nurse buy a plan that works in every state?

Some private plans and some Marketplace plans use national PPO networks. Many Marketplace plans are local HMOs or EPOs, so check the network before you choose.

Sources: www.dhp.virginia.gov, www.dhp.virginia.gov, www.nursecompact.com. Facts checked October 2026. See all Virginia health insurance rules.

Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance agent in Virginia and 30 other states, NPN 21032307.