Short answer: private health insurance in Virginia comes in two forms. The marketplace plans are themselves sold by private companies: Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace sells 2026 plans from Anthem HealthKeepers, CareFirst and other private insurers. They come with tax credits and no health questions. Medically underwritten plans are the other form: they ask about your health, can decline you and get no credit, but a healthy buyer can often pay less, and one can start in any month. (Reviewed by Daniel Griffin, licensed independent advisor, NPN #22052447.)
Who Sells Marketplace Plans in Virginia
Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace lists 2026 marketplace plans from Anthem HealthKeepers, CareFirst, Cigna Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar, Sentara and UnitedHealthcare (Optimum Choice). Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace replaced HealthCare.gov starting with 2024 coverage, serving Virginia’s 95 counties and 38 independent cities. Not every insurer sells in every county.
What Virginia Plans Cost Before a Tax Credit
The average benchmark Silver premium for a 40-year-old in Virginia was $455 a month in 2026, before any tax credit (KFF).
Off-Exchange Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Prices in Virginia, 2027
Anthem sells individual plans off the marketplace in 12 of Virginia’s 12 rating areas for 2027. They are ACA plans at a flat price: no health questions, and no tax credit. In area 10 Anthem does not sell in Fairfax, Arlington or Alexandria (that is CareFirst’s territory); the area 10 prices are for counties such as Spotsylvania and Stafford. The lowest price anywhere in the state, by age:
| Age | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | $322 | $395 | $415 |
| 30 | $365 | $449 | $471 |
| 40 | $411 | $505 | $531 |
| 50 | $574 | $706 | $742 |
| 60 | $873 | $1,073 | $1,127 |
| 64 | $965 | $1,186 | $1,246 |
The cheapest of each, by rating area, for a 40-year-old:
| Area | Counties | Bronze from | Silver from | Gold from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Radford City | $432 | $521 | $552 |
| 2 | Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Nelson and 1 more | $443 | $544 | $576 |
| 3 | Pittsylvania, Danville City | $440 | $540 | $572 |
| 4 | Rockingham, Harrisonburg City | $456 | $561 | $593 |
| 5 | Scott, Washington, Bristol City | $414 | $508 | $538 |
| 6 | Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell and 1 more | $447 | $549 | $581 |
| 7 | Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield and 16 more | $431 | $529 | $556 |
| 8 | Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, Roanoke and 2 more | $444 | $546 | $578 |
| 9 | Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews and 11 more | $420 | $516 | $542 |
| 10 | Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier and 11 more | $411 | $505 | $531 |
| 11 | Frederick, Winchester City | $432 | $531 | $562 |
| 12 | Accomack, Alleghany, Augusta, Bath and 50 more | $433 | $532 | $563 |
Monthly, non-tobacco, from the Off-Marketplace plans on shop.anthem.com, quoted October 24, 2026. Men and women pay the same. Other ages follow the federal age curve, checked against Anthem’s own quotes. Prices can change before enrollment, and the insurer’s final rate applies. If you qualify for a tax credit, the same plans cost less through the marketplace.
The cheapest of these carry real deductibles: $8,700 on the $411-a-month Bronze and $3,500 on the $505-a-month Silver. For a healthy buyer who earns too much for a tax credit, that is full price plus a deductible, and a licensed agent here recommends an off-exchange Anthem plan only when you really need ACA coverage, such as for an ongoing condition or a pregnancy. A private plan with no deductible starts at about $300 a month for a 40-year-old in Virginia (private estimates run $300–$445); it asks health questions and pays set amounts instead. Why most healthy buyers skip the Blue plan: off-exchange Blue Cross Blue Shield plans compared.
Who Should Look Beyond the Virginia Marketplace
For 2027 coverage the tax credit stops at $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four. At Virginia’s 2026 benchmark, a single 40-year-old just over that line pays $5,460 a year, about 9% of income, before the 2027 increase. That is where a healthy household can save with a medically underwritten plan, which is priced on health, not income. It is not ACA coverage: it can decline you and usually excludes pre-existing conditions and maternity care. Leaving a job? See COBRA alternatives.
Networks: What to Check in Virginia
Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace shows each plan’s network type. Check whether a plan is an HMO, EPO or PPO, then check your doctors and hospital in that plan’s own network, not just the insurer’s name.
Healthy, in Virginia, and paying full price?
Send your ZIP code. A licensed agent checks your tax credit first, then compares your best marketplace plan with the private options for your county.
Check My County →Free · No obligation · Licensed in 23 states · NPN #22052447
2027 in Virginia
Virginia’s approved 2027 rates are an average 16.9% higher than 2026 (enrollment-weighted, reported Sep 23, 2026). Cigna leaves Virginia’s marketplace after 2026; anyone on its plans needs a new one for January. Open Enrollment on Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace opens November 1, 2026; check its deadline for coverage that starts January 1. Medically underwritten plans are not tied to that calendar. health insurance in Virginia · self-employed in Virginia.
Checking an Agent or a Plan in Virginia
The Virginia Bureau of Insurance licenses agents and insurers in Virginia: look up anyone selling you a plan, and get the insurer’s name and the list of what is not covered before you pay.
Common Questions
What is private health insurance in Virginia?
Two things. Private insurers sell Virginia marketplace plans on Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace, with tax credits and no health questions. Medically underwritten plans ask health questions, can decline you, get no tax credit and can start in any month.
Who should buy a medically underwritten plan in Virginia?
A healthy household that gets little or no tax credit: for 2027 coverage there is none above $63,840 for one person or $132,000 for a family of four. Anyone with a real health history, or planning a pregnancy, is usually better protected on the marketplace.
Are there PPO plans on the Virginia marketplace?
It depends on the insurer and the county. Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace shows each plan’s network type, so check it plan by plan.
Which insurers are leaving Virginia’s marketplace for 2027?
Cigna leaves Virginia’s marketplace after 2026; anyone on its plans needs a new one for January.
Sources
- KFF benchmark premiums, Virginia, 2026.
- Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace, 2026 insurers.
- Virginia 2027 rates and exits (Plans By State, from regulators and ACASignups.net).
- HealthCare.gov: tax credit income limits.
- Virginia Bureau of Insurance.
Full-price filed rates before tax credits, not quotes. Underwritten plans are not sold in every state and acceptance depends on health history.