Cheapest ACA plans in Virginia for 2026

Cheapest plans by metal tier

Lowest 2026 monthly premium for a single 40-year-old non-tobacco user, on-exchange, before any subsidy. Per-age figures derived from the CMS QHP Landscape file using the HHS standardized age-rating curve (45 CFR 147.102).

The actual cheapest plan in major counties

Same data the search returns: carrier, plan name, monthly premium, individual deductible, individual MOOP. Computed for a single 40-year-old non-tobacco user, before any subsidy. Catastrophic plans excluded because adults 30+ typically need a hardship-exemption certificate to enroll.

The actual cheapest plan for a family of four

Two 40-year-old adults and two kids in the 0-14 age band, before any subsidy. Carrier, plan name, premium, deductible, and MOOP exactly as the search would return them.

Subsidies: federal APTC + Commonwealth Health Reinsurance Program

Virginia does not operate a state-funded premium subsidy program. Two programs apply on VaIM:

1. Federal Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC). Households 100-400% FPL, standard ACA contribution curve with a hard 400% FPL cliff. The ARPA / IRA enhanced subsidies expired 2025-12-31 and are not in effect for 2026.
2. Commonwealth Health Reinsurance Program. §1332 waiver approved by CMS May 18, 2022 for a 5-year term ending January 1, 2028. Statutory home at Code of Virginia § 38.2-6600 et seq. Reimburses carriers for high-cost individual-market claims, reducing premiums across the Virginia individual market. No consumer application; savings are already reflected in posted rates. Bills in the 2026 session (HB327 / HB2332) direct the SCC to apply for waiver extension and remove the 20% premium-reduction upper bound.

Virginia expanded Medicaid in January 2019 under CoverVA. Adults 19-64 with income up to 138% FPL qualify regardless of parental status or disability; ~595,000 expansion adults were enrolled as of early 2025. There is no coverage gap in Virginia.

Catastrophic plans in Virginia follow federal rules

Virginia follows the federal ACA default: Catastrophic coverage is available to enrollees under age 30, or at any age with a hardship / affordability exemption. The PY2026 federal expansion automatically extends eligibility to consumers with projected income below 100% FPL or above 400% FPL. APTC does not apply to Catastrophic plans.

2026 is a tobacco bridge year (HB220 applies from January 1, 2027)

Virginia is the most nuanced tobacco-rating state for PY2026. Code of Virginia § 38.2-3447 (version effective January 1, 2026) permits tobacco-use rating up to the federal 1.5x ceiling. A prior prohibition under SB1011 (2023) sunsetted on 2026-01-01, so rating authority returned automatically.

Of the ten PY2026 individual-market carriers in Virginia, only Sentara Health Plans and Sentara Health Insurance Companyfiled a tobacco rating factor. The other eight carriers (Anthem HealthKeepers, Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, CareFirst BlueChoice, GHMSI / CareFirst BCBS, Cigna Health & Life, Kaiser Mid-Atlantic, Optimum Choice / UnitedHealthcare, Oscar Insurance Company) file "No Preference" — same price regardless of tobacco use. Sentara's surcharge stays within the federal 1.5x cap.

HB220 (2026 Acts of Assembly, Chapter 34), signed March 31, 2026, banned tobacco surcharges statewide. The chapter takes effect July 1, 2026, but the operative prohibition applies to "health benefit plans providing individual or small group health insurance coverage entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027." That means PY2026 is the last year any Virginia carrier can legally charge tobacco users more; all PY2027 plans must price uniformly.

Carriers selling 2026 plans in Virginia

7 carriers, 11,671 plans across 133 counties. 7,418 sold on Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, 4,253 off-exchange-only direct from carriers. Ten carriers in the PY2026 individual market. Only Sentara Health Plans + Sentara Health Insurance Company apply a tobacco rating factor for 2026; all other carriers price identically for tobacco users and non-users.

Enrollment

Open Enrollment for 2026 coverage runs November 1, 2025 through January 30, 2026 (VaIM extends 15 days past the federal January 15 deadline). Enroll by December 31, 2025 for a January 1 effective date; enrollments from January 1 through January 30 take effect February 1. Special Enrollment is available year-round for qualifying life events.

Direct enrollment: marketplace.virginia.gov.

Frequently asked questions