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Virginia Health Insurance Companies
Virginia Health Insurance Resources
How to Get the Most Savings
Virginia Health Insurance FAQS
How to Enroll in Health Insurance in Virginia
Virginia Health Insurance Companies
Virginia has around a dozen insurance companies that offer plans, so there are plenty of options for you to choose from. We’ve highlighted two of the most popular companies to help get you started:
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
A third of Virginians rely on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for their insurance needs. They provide Virginians with a variety of health plan options (Traditional, PPO, HMO, CDHP) to get individuals, families, employers, and Medicare-eligible individuals covered.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is the largest nonprofit health insurer in the United States. It operates in California, its home state, as well as Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Kaiser offers catastrophic policies in addition to Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum health insurance plans. Kaiser Permanente offers the following types of plans: HMO, POS, PPO, and EPO.
Health Insurance Marketplace in Virginia
If you’re looking for health insurance in Virginia, the health insurance Marketplace is a good place to start. Marketplace health insurance, which was created by the Affordable Care Act, offers certain consumer protections, guarantees coverage for pre-existing conditions, and includes coverage for what are known as the “10 essential health benefits”:
- Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care)
- Emergency services
- Hospitalization
- Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care (both before and after birth)
- Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment (including counseling and psychotherapy)
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care (but adult dental and vision coverage aren’t essential health benefits)
The ACA-compliant plans offered on the Marketplace are divided into different types, known as metal tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. These tiers do not signal a difference in quality of care, though. The tiers differ in your out-of-pocket costs versus what your plan covers.
It’s important to remember that the Marketplace only offers the plans of participating providers. So unfortunately, while the Marketplace is a great tool, you may not be able to compare every plan available to you.
Whether you want a Marketplace plan, or a plan from a private insurer, an EZ agent can help. We work with all carriers in your state in order to compare all options available.
Over half of the uninsured in Virginia who qualify for Marketplace insurance coverage could get a Bronze plan for FREE.
Virginia’s Short Term Health Insurance Guidelines
If you’ve missed the health insurance Open Enrollment Period (OEP), or if you need health insurance for a short amount of time, short-term plans are a great option. It’s important to note, though, that these policies tend to only cover the basics, and you can be denied one of these plans if you have a pre-existing condition.
There are some rules around short-term plans, both at the federal and the state level. Some states choose to have their own guidelines separate from federal guidelines, or don’t offer short-term plans at all. Virginia has recently changed its short-term policy regulations: plans are now only allowed to last for 3 months, with a maximum of 6 months allowed overall if they are renewed. Short-term insurance cannot be purchased for longer than six months in a calendar year, and it cannot be purchased during the Open Enrollment Period.
Virginia Health Insurance Resources
Searching for health insurance can be frustrating, but there are numerous tools you can use to simplify the process.
Your employer is actually a great resource, so talk to them about any group health plan options that might be available to you. While employers in Virginia are not required to offer health insurance to their employees, the majority of them do offer some sort of health insurance coverage, and these plans are typically less expensive than private health insurance.
You can also look into government-sponsored programs to see if you meet the requirements. Anyone who is 65 years of age or older, or who has a qualifying disability and is between the ages of 18 and 65, is eligible for low-cost insurance through Medicare. Medicaid is another government program, which is intended for people with lower incomes: if you meet the income requirements, you can get coverage for nothing!
But the best resource at your disposal is an insurance agent. EZ agents are skilled and trained to assess every possible plan option for you. Your agent will compare all available plans while taking into account all of your medical and financial requirements to ensure you have the coverage you need.
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How to Get the Most Savings
Out of all 50 states, Virginia has the 35th highest per capita healthcare spending, with an average individual annual healthcare expense of $8,815. You can, though, take measures to reduce the price of your health insurance.
Your health is the best place to start, since insurance companies actually look at things like your body mass index (BMI). Virginia has a 31.9% obesity rate, and if you’re in this group, know that you can get the cheapest health insurance rates by maintaining a healthy BMI.
Tobacco use is another factor that affects how much health insurance will cost. Health insurance premiums for smokers can be up to 50% more than for nonsmokers.
But there is an easier way to save! The easiest way to be certain you get the best deal is to work with a skilled agent. The experts at EZ will look for any regional discounts and incorporate them into the budget-friendly plans available in your area. Working with an EZ agent can result in annual savings of several hundred dollars. Additionally, all of our services are totally free!
Virginia Health Insurance FAQS
Does Virginia require you to have health insurance?
No, there is no longer a federal tax penalty for not having health insurance, and Virginia is not one of the states that has adopted its own mandate.
What is the cheapest health insurance in Virginia?
The cheapest health plan will be a Bronze Plan, which can start as low as $375 a month. Remember, though, health insurance plan prices can vary depending on age, zip code, gender, and other factors.
How much does health insurance cost in Virginia?
The average monthly health insurance premium in Virginia is $440, or $5,280 per year, with plans as low as $375 a month to as high as $1,110. But do not let these numbers scare you. More than half of uninsured people in Virginia qualify for a $0 Bronze plan and don’t even know it.
Which companies offer health insurance in Virginia?
The top 12 insurers in your state are Aetna Life Insurance Company, Bright Health Insurance, CareFirst BlueChoice, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, HealthKeepers, Innovation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Optima Insurance Company, Optima Health Plan – HMO, Optimum Choice, Oscar Insurance Company, and Piedmont Community Healthcare HMO.
How to Enroll in Health Insurance in Virginia
Virginia offers a number of enrollment options. You can enroll in your employer’s group plan, if they offer one, or you can also search for individual coverage. You can do this by shopping for plans on your chosen carrier’s website if you know which company you want to work with.
Using the health insurance Marketplace is another option. Virginia participates in the federal Health Insurance Exchange, so residents can compare and shop for plans on the federal website. It’s important to note that you can only compare the plans of a select few insurance companies in this way, because not all of the state’s insurance providers participate in the exchange.
However you choose to do it, EZ agents are available to help with the enrollment process. We will offer guidance and answer all of your questions as we search for the perfect plan for you. We work with the top companies in the country to give you the coverage you need.
If you still have questions, feel free to give us a call at 877-670-3557. When you call, you will be directly connected to a local insurance agent who can answer all of your questions and help you find the health insurance plan that works best for you.
