How to Get Health Insurance Quotes in Virginia
Last updated · By Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance broker, NPN 21032307
Short answer
In Virginia, self-employed people and families usually compare two kinds of quotes: private, medically underwritten plans priced on age, ZIP code and health, and Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans, where household income sets any subsidy.
If approved, a private plan can start the first of any month; Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans follow open enrollment unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.
Frank Caballero, a licensed broker (NPN 21032307), quotes both for Virginia households from Northern Virginia (Arlington–Alexandria–Fairfax) to Charlottesville by phone or video, at no fee.
Virginia at a glance
| Where ACA plans are sold | Virginia's Insurance Marketplace (state exchange since the 2024 plan year) |
|---|---|
| Medicaid expansion | Expanded |
| Open enrollment for 2027 coverage | Set by Virginia's Insurance Marketplace: Nov 1, 2026 – Jan 29, 2027 (Dec 15 for a Jan 1 start) |
| Private plan enrollment | Any month, if approved |
| 2027 subsidy line (400% of the poverty level) | $63,840 for one person; $132,000 for a family of four |
| 2027 Marketplace out-of-pocket maximum | $12,000 for one person; $24,000 for a family |
| 2027 average Marketplace rate change | 15.8% to 16.9% (final) |
| Largest metro areas | Northern Virginia (Arlington–Alexandria–Fairfax), Virginia Beach–Norfolk (Hampton Roads), Richmond, Roanoke and Charlottesville |
What a quote takes
- Book a 15-minute call by phone or video, in English or Spanish. There is no fee.
- Have ready: your Virginia ZIP code, everyone's ages, your doctors (in Northern Virginia (Arlington–Alexandria–Fairfax), Virginia Beach–Norfolk (Hampton Roads) or elsewhere), prescriptions, a rough income estimate for the Virginia's Insurance Marketplace side and your health history for the private side.
- Frank prices private plans from your health answers and Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans from your income, and checks each network for your doctors.
- Next, a private application goes to the insurer for an underwriting decision; if approved, coverage can start the first of the next month. Virginia's Insurance Marketplace enrollment happens in open enrollment or a special enrollment period, with Frank's help.
Private plan vs. the Marketplace in Virginia
| Feature | Private, medically underwritten plan | Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plan |
|---|---|---|
| Priced on | Age, ZIP code and your health answers | Age and ZIP code; household income sets any subsidy |
| Coverage can start | The first of any month, if approved | After open enrollment, or after a qualifying event in a special enrollment period |
| Health questions | Yes, and approval depends on the answers | No |
| Networks | Many private plans use national PPO networks | Many Virginia Marketplace plans are HMO or EPO networks inside the state |
| Benefits and pre-existing condition rules | Vary by plan; read the plan documents before you apply | Every plan covers essential health benefits and pre-existing conditions |
Virginia limits short-term plans to a few months, in line with federal rules, and they exclude pre-existing conditions. The private PPO plans we quote are medically underwritten and year-round.
Virginia rules that shape a quote
Virginia also runs a state reinsurance program, administered by the Bureau of Insurance and approved through 2027, that helps hold down individual-market premiums. The enhanced federal credits ended after 2025, and excess advance credits must now be repaid in full at tax time, so self-employed workers should keep their income estimate current. Leaving a small employer gives you 12 months of state continuation, short-term plans are held to three months at a time and six months in any year, and open enrollment runs to January 29, 2027.
Who usually starts with which
Price a private plan first
You are in good health, self-employed or a business owner, and your household income is above the Virginia subsidy line of $63,840 for one person or $132,000 for a family of four. Above that line you pay the full Virginia's Insurance Marketplace premium, so a plan priced on health may cost you less.
Start with Virginia's Insurance Marketplace
You have health conditions that could affect a private approval, or your household income may qualify for a subsidy. Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans cannot turn you down or charge more because of your health.
Common self-employed work in Virginia: Federal and defense contractors between contracts, IT and cybersecurity consultants, real estate agents, construction trades, shipyard and maritime contractors in Hampton Roads, military spouses running small businesses, and farm and winery owners.
Virginia has 880,366 small businesses, 99.6 percent of all firms, and they employ 1.6 million people, by the SBA's 2025 count. Most of them, 722,562, have no employees beyond the owner. Professional, scientific and technical services lead by a wide margin with 109,225 one-person firms, reflecting the state's many consultants and contractors. Transportation and warehousing follows with 99,301, then real estate, other services such as repair and personal care, and construction. Each of those owners has to find and pay for health coverage without an employer plan.
Virginia's own exchange reported 370,086 plan selections to CMS for 2026 open enrollment, about 5 percent fewer than the 388,856 counted for 2025. The bigger shift was in who gets help: about 78 percent of 2026 enrollees received an advance premium tax credit, compared with about 86 percent the year before, so roughly 22 percent of buyers now pay the full premium themselves. That full-price group is large in a state where, by Census estimates for 2024, about 46.6 percent of households have incomes of $100,000 or more and usually earn too much to get any credit.
Business owners with employees
Virginia law, Code section 38.2-3431, defines a small employer as one with an average of 1 to 50 employees in the prior year. In their 2027 filings, small-group insurers requested increases averaging 11.7 percent before the Bureau of Insurance's review, and they expect enrollment to stay flat. The Bureau reports that small-group loss ratios rose from 84 percent in 2024 to 87 percent in 2025. The market has also shrunk: after 16 insurers from 2018 to 2022 and one newcomer in 2023, six insurer entities left the small-group market in 2025.
Leaving a job or group plan
Virginians switch through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, the state-run exchange. You qualify for a special enrollment period if you lost coverage in the past 60 days or expect to lose it in the next 60, and you have 60 days from the loss to pick a plan. Applying before your continuation ends lets the new plan start right after it. Under federal rules, running out of COBRA counts, but dropping it early does not. The Bureau of Insurance helps consumers at 1-877-310-6560.
If you are self-employed in Virginia, premiums for you and your family are often deductible on your federal return, whichever kind of plan you choose. General information, not tax advice — confirm with your CPA based on your specific entity structure.
2027 rates in Virginia
Virginia's Insurance Marketplace premiums in Virginia are set to rise 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027 in finalized filings, with small-group plans up about 10.7%; the Virginia 2027 premium increase page has the details.
About your broker
Frank Caballero is a licensed health insurance broker, NPN 21032307, licensed in 31 states including Virginia. He is based in Tampa and works with Virginia clients by phone or video, in English and Spanish. There is no fee to the client. FC Insurance Solutions is BBB Accredited with an A rating and rated 4.9 on Google from 78 reviews. More about Frank · License list
Virginia health insurance quote questions
Can I get a private health insurance quote in Virginia outside open enrollment?
Yes. Private, medically underwritten plans can be quoted in Virginia any time of year and, if approved, start the first of any month. Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans need open enrollment or a special enrollment period, such as after losing other coverage.
How long does a Virginia health insurance quote take?
About 15 minutes by phone or video. Virginia's Insurance Marketplace prices come from your ZIP code, ages and income estimate; private plans also need your health history, and the insurer decides after you apply.
Do I need to go through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace to get a quote?
No. 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. A licensed broker can quote Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans and private plans in the same call, and private plans are not sold through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace at all.
Is there a fee to use a health insurance broker in Virginia?
No. Frank charges Virginia clients nothing; the insurance company pays the broker, and you don't pay extra for the help.
What if I have a pre-existing condition in Virginia?
Virginia's Insurance Marketplace plans cannot decline you or charge more because of your health, so Virginia's Insurance Marketplace is often the place to start. Private plans in Virginia ask health questions, and approval depends on your answers.
I am a government contractor in Fairfax and my contract ends next month. What should I do now?
Losing employer coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period on the marketplace. If you are in good health and expect to be above the subsidy range, a private PPO that, if approved, starts the first of next month carries over to the next contract without a lapse. We show both.
More for Virginia
Official sources
FC Insurance Solutions LLC is a private, licensed insurance brokerage. It is not HealthCare.gov, a state exchange or a government agency.