Two federal institutions define Hampton's economy: Joint Base Langley-Eustis and the NASA Langley Research Center, with Hampton University adding an academic anchor downtown. Federal and military paychecks usually come with coverage attached, but the city's contractors, service workers, and veterans in transition often shop on their own. Virginia gives them a strong state marketplace and very little room on short-term products.
The rules here
| Max initial term (short-term) | 3 months |
| Max total duration | 6 months of coverage in any 12 |
| Products available | ACA marketplace, short-term, fixed indemnity, supplemental |
| Exchange type | State exchange (Virginia's Insurance Marketplace) |
| Medicaid expansion | Yes |
What's available in Hampton
| Coverage line | Available here | Key limit | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace plans | Yes | Open enrollment or a qualifying event | ACA plans |
| Short-term medical | Yes | 3-month terms, 6 months max in any 12 | Short-term |
| Extended short-term (multi-year) | No | Not available under Virginia law | |
| Fixed indemnity | Yes | Pays set cash amounts, not a substitute for major medical | Fixed indemnity |
| Supplemental (accident, critical illness, dental, vision) | Yes | Pairs with other coverage | Accident · Critical illness · Dental · Vision |
Short-term and fixed indemnity plans are not ACA compliant and do not count as minimum essential coverage. They are medically underwritten and typically exclude pre-existing conditions.
What one person pays for coverage in Virginia
Average monthly premiums for individual coverage. Family pricing differs; quotes are individual.
| Coverage type | Monthly premium (individual) | What that number is |
|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace (before subsidy) | $575 avg. | State average, before tax credits (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| ACA marketplace (after average subsidy) | $124 after credit | State average, after the average tax credit, among subsidized enrollees (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| Employer coverage (single / family) | $682 / $2127 single / family | State average total monthly premium, single / family; employee pays about $155/mo toward single coverage (MEPS-IC, 2024).2 |
| Medicaid | $0 or nominal for those who qualify | Program design, not an average; eligibility is income-based5 |
| Fixed indemnity | sec-363.11 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Virginia with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
Self-employed Hampton residents work from the individual marketplace benchmark in the table. Household income and size for the year set any subsidy, and estimates never guarantee eligibility. A licensed agent can turn the benchmark into a quote built on your actual numbers.
Averages from federal data and our own client base, not quotes. Your price depends on your age, household, income, and plan choice.
Hampton at a glance
Hampton sits on the Peninsula side of Hampton Roads, across the water from Norfolk, with an economy layered around the air base, the NASA research campus, and the port. Veterans make up an outsized share of the population here, and coverage transitions around military separation are one of the most common situations local agents see.
| Population | County | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| ~137,000 | Hampton city (FIPS 51650) | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News |
Three Hampton situations
Andre, 31, separating at Langley next month. Losing military coverage is a qualifying event, so he can enroll through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace right away. If his civilian start date is only weeks out, a single 3-month short-term plan can bridge that sliver, but it is underwritten and excludes anything pre-existing.
Felicia, 48, runs a catering business out of Phoebus. She needs permanent coverage, and Virginia's 6-months-in-12 short-term cap makes that product irrelevant to her. A marketplace plan with a subsidy sized to her business income is the workable structure, reviewed each fall.
Marcus, 23, NASA contractor on a term appointment. His contract carries no benefits. Depending on income he may qualify for a solid subsidy, and if a gap year drops him below the subsidy floor, Virginia's Medicaid expansion picks him up rather than leaving him uncovered.
How Virginia's rules work
Short-term plans in Virginia are limited to 3-month terms and a maximum of 6 months of coverage in any 12-month period. There is no extended product and no lawful way to string these plans into year-round coverage. The honest framing: short-term here is a brief bridge for a known, short gap, nothing more.
Virginia operates its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, with open enrollment dates set by the state exchange, generally opening November 1. The state expanded Medicaid, so adults with income below the marketplace subsidy floor typically qualify for Medicaid, and there is no coverage gap at the bottom of the income range.
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Keep reading — more Virginia guides
Premium data methodology. 1 Marketplace premium averages reflect the average monthly premium before advance premium tax credits, the average monthly premium after advance premium tax credits among subsidized enrollees, and the percentage of enrollees receiving advance premium tax credits, for Virginia, as reported in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files, 2026 plan year, available at cms.gov. Figures are statewide averages across all metal tiers, ages, and household sizes; your premium will differ based on your age, household, income, county, and plan selection.
2 Employer coverage averages reflect the average total monthly premium for single and family coverage at private-sector establishments in Virginia, including both employer and employee contributions, as reported in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS-IC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2024 tables, available at meps.ahrq.gov. Employee contribution figure reflects the average employee share of the single-coverage premium. Employer plan costs vary by employer, plan design, and firm size.
3 Client averages are calculated from GetHealthPlans.com (MTG Insurance Agency LLC) internal book-of-business records as of July 15, 2026 and reflect the median or mean monthly premium, as labeled, among active policies providing individual coverage (one covered person) of the stated product type held by our clients residing in the stated state or, where labeled agency-wide, across all states in which we operate. Family and multi-person policies are excluded so that figures reflect what one person pays. Figures are shown only for states and products where our records include a sufficient number of active individual policies to report a meaningful average, with a minimum of ten; combinations below that threshold are not shown. Where a figure is labeled "median," half of our client policies in that group pay less and half pay more. Our client base reflects the products we sell, skews toward medically underwritten coverage, and may not represent all buyers or all plans available in a state. These figures are historical averages of premiums actually paid by our clients, are not quotes, offers, or projections, and are not statements of what any individual will pay. Individual premiums are determined by the insurer at application based on age, location, term length, benefit selections, and underwriting outcomes.
4 No federal or state agency publishes average premium data for short-term limited duration insurance or fixed indemnity insurance. Where we do not display a client-base figure for these products, it is because we do not have sufficient policy volume in that state to report a meaningful average. Short-term and fixed indemnity products are medically underwritten, are not major medical coverage, are not required to cover pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits, and do not constitute minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
5 Medicaid and CHIP are public programs, not insurance products sold by this agency. Premiums are $0 or nominal for those who qualify; eligibility is determined by your state based on income, household size, and other factors. The figure shown describes program design, not an average. Contact your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov to check eligibility.