Short-Term Health Insurance in Virginia: 2027 Rules
A short-term health plan in Virginia is a temporary policy meant to fill a gap of weeks or a few months, not a full replacement for major medical coverage. It can exclude pre-existing conditions, cap what it pays and decline applicants, and Virginia adds its own rules on top of the federal limits. With Virginia Marketplace premiums rising 15.8% to 16.9% on average for 2027, more people are looking at short-term plans, so it pays to know what they leave out. I don't sell short-term plans; this page explains how they work in Virginia and the year-round options I do offer.
Private health insurance in Virginia
Most people 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 quoteLearn more: coverage not based on income · how underwriting works · private vs Obamacare · PPO plans for individuals · switching from the Marketplace
Short-term plan rules in Virginia
Virginia is one of the stricter states. Under Code of Virginia section 38.2-3407.21, a short-term limited-duration medical plan may not have a term longer than three months and cannot be renewed or extended past six months, and a person can't be covered by these plans for more than six months in any 12-month period. Carriers are also barred from issuing them during the annual open enrollment period, which opens November 1. Because state law is tighter than the federal definition, the August 2025 federal enforcement pause changes little here. Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded, and applicants generally must pass underwriting. The regulator is the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance; healthinsurance.org counted at least six insurers marketing plans in Virginia in 2026.
When a short-term plan fits in Virginia, and what to use instead
With so many federal contractors and military families in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, coverage gaps often follow a contract ending or a service member separating. Virginia keeps short-term plans to three months, so they work only as a brief bridge, and during open enrollment carriers cannot issue them at all. They exclude prior conditions, aren't ACA plans, and carry no subsidy. Virginia runs its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and losing coverage gives you 60 days to enroll there outside open enrollment. Another option is a medically underwritten private plan you can apply for year-round; if approved, it can begin on the first of a month. Frank can help you compare them.
The Virginia individual market
Virginia buyers shop on Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, the state-run exchange and the only place to apply for federal premium tax credits and the new state help called Virginia Premium Savings. Starting with 2027 plans, Virginia Premium Savings lowers premiums for households earning 138 to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, is applied after any federal credit, and is paid from a fixed state appropriation, so funding may not reach everyone who qualifies. 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 tradespeople 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.
Other Virginia rules to know
- Leaving a small employer: 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, small-group plans about 10.7%. See the Virginia 2027 rate page.
What a short-term plan is
Short-term limited-duration insurance is temporary coverage outside the ACA rules. It can ask health questions, turn applicants down, exclude conditions you already have and leave out benefits such as maternity care, mental health care or prescriptions. It is not Marketplace coverage, so no subsidy applies to it.
Why the time limit matters
A 2024 federal rule caps short-term plans at three months, or four with renewals. In August 2025 federal regulators said they would not prioritize enforcing that cap, so the real limit now depends on your state, from a few months to as long as three years. However long it lasts, when the plan ends you are not guaranteed a new one, and losing a short-term plan does not open a Marketplace enrollment window.
The two options that last all year
A Marketplace plan accepts everyone during open enrollment or within 60 days of losing other coverage. A medically underwritten private plan is year-round coverage priced on age, ZIP code and health; it is not a Marketplace plan, approval depends on your health answers, benefits vary by plan, and if approved it can start the first of a month. For most people who need more than a short bridge, one of these two is the better fit.
For 2027 the Marketplace credit stops at 400 percent of the poverty level: $63,840 for one person, $86,560 for two and $132,000 for a family of four. The out-of-pocket maximum for 2027 Marketplace plans is $12,000 for one person and $24,000 for a family. The full guide covers the rest.
Compare Virginia plans
Licensed in Virginia. Private plans priced first, Marketplace alongside when it fits. No fee.
Virginia questions
Where do Virginia residents enroll in 2027 coverage?
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.
What continuation rights does Virginia give after leaving a small employer?
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.
How much are Virginia premiums rising for 2027?
Individual-market premiums are set to rise 15.8% to 16.9% on average, and small-group plans about 10.7%.
Is a short-term plan cheaper than a Marketplace plan?
The premium often is, but the plan covers less, can exclude pre-existing conditions and ends after a few months. Compare it with what you would actually pay for care under each option.
Can I get a short-term plan after open enrollment ends?
Where your state allows them, yes, but they are temporary. A year-round private plan can also be applied for in any month and, if approved, can start the first of a month.
Sources: law.lis.virginia.gov, scc.virginia.gov, www.healthinsurance.org. Facts checked October 2026. See all Virginia health insurance rules.
Short-term plans in other states
Written by Frank Caballero, licensed health insurance agent in Virginia and 30 other states, NPN 21032307.