How health insurance works in Virginia
Virginians buying their own coverage have two markets: Virginia's Insurance Marketplace (marketplace.virginia.gov), where plans from Anthem HealthKeepers, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna CVS Health, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar, and UnitedHealthcare are guaranteed-issue and priced on income, and the private shared-network market, where PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO are underwritten and priced on age and health.
Medicaid is expanded (since 2019) in Virginia. Virginia has no state individual mandate.
What it costs
Full-price marketplace plans for a 40-year-old in Richmond commonly run $550–$850 a month in 2026; with a subsidy, often under $300. Private PPOs for the same healthy person run roughly $320–$480. Virginia has a progressive state income tax, so the self-employed health premium deduction helps at both the federal and state level.
The Virginia picture
Virginia runs its own state-based marketplace, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and Northern Virginia's contractor and consulting workforce is one of the largest self-employed groups on the East Coast.