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Short-Term Health Insurance in Virginia

Virginia allows only a three-month term and six months of coverage in any 12, with no sales during Open Enrollment. Plans must cover a set of minimum benefits.

At a glance

Short-term plans are available in Virginia, but only briefly: a maximum 3-month term, and no more than 6 months of coverage in any 12-month period.
Plans are not guaranteed renewable, and carriers may not issue short-term coverage during the ACA Open Enrollment Period.
Virginia requires these plans to cover minimum benefits (emergency, hospital, physician, outpatient, surgical, radiology, and laboratory services) and caps any pre-existing exclusion at three months.
Virginia runs its own marketplace, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and has expanded Medicaid.

What Virginia allows

Virginia permits short-term health insurance but keeps it deliberately brief. Under Va. Code 38.2-3407.21, a short-term plan may not have a duration that exceeds three months (B)(1), and no renewal or extension may make coverage effective for more than six months — with no person covered more than six months in any 12-month period (B)(2)-(3)). Virginia short-term coverage is a true gap-filler, not a long-term or renewable plan.

Virginia also layers on real protections. These plans must cover a set of minimum benefits — emergency, hospital, physician, outpatient, surgical, radiology, and laboratory services — and any pre-existing-condition exclusion is capped at three months (out of twelve), with credit for prior coverage. They are not guaranteed renewable, carry no waiting or elimination period, and must include a prominent ACA-noncompliance disclosure. Notably, carriers may not issue short-term coverage during the ACA Open Enrollment Period. Forms and rates must be filed with the State Corporation Commission.

The Commission's Bureau of Insurance guidance also adds anti-stacking rules — a four-month-per-carrier limit — on top of the statutory six-month-in-12 cap, so chaining plans from one insurer to build longer coverage isn't viable (an unaffiliated second carrier could add only up to two more months, reconciled with the six-month cap).

For context, the 2024 federal 3-month / 4-month rule is currently not being enforced, but Virginia's own statute is stricter and is the binding constraint here.

Your options in Virginia

If you're a Virginia resident weighing your choices, here's what's realistically on the table (described as coverage types, not specific products):

Short-term health insurance — brief gap coverage only: a 3-month term, no more than 6 months in any 12-month period, and it must cover Virginia's minimum benefits. Useful for a defined, short gap; not a long-term option in this state.
ACA marketplace plans — comprehensive major-medical coverage sold through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, the state's exchange. For any need beyond a couple of months, this is the realistic route: it covers essential health benefits, can't turn you down for pre-existing conditions, and may come with income-based subsidies.
Fixed indemnity and other excepted benefits — supplemental coverage that pays limited, defined benefits. Virginia requires these to be a separate policy that pays per category of service, with no coordination, and to carry the notice "THIS IS A SUPPLEMENT TO HEALTH INSURANCE AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR MAJOR MEDICAL COVERAGE" (14VAC5-141-120). Not a substitute for major medical.
Medicaid — Virginia has expanded Medicaid, so more low-income adults qualify. It's worth checking your eligibility before buying a short-term plan.

As an independent, carrier-neutral brokerage, we don't steer you to any single insurer — and in a state that limits short-term coverage this tightly, we'll tell you honestly when an ACA plan or Medicaid is the better fit.

How enrollment works here

Virginia runs its own state-based marketplace, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace (marketplace.virginia.gov), for ACA plans — you enroll there rather than through HealthCare.gov. Enrollment works on a schedule:

Open Enrollment happens once a year, typically each fall through early winter, for coverage that starts the following January.
Special Enrollment Periods are available year-round if you have a qualifying life event — for example, losing job-based coverage, moving, getting married, or having a baby.

Short-term health insurance is different, with a Virginia twist: carriers may not issue short-term coverage during the ACA Open Enrollment Period, and coverage is capped at 6 months in any 12-month period. If you need more than a brief bridge, an ACA plan (with a Special Enrollment Period if you qualify) or Medicaid is the realistic route.

What it costs

We don't quote premiums on this page — prices change and depend on your specific situation — but here are the factors that drive the cost of coverage in Virginia:

Your age — older applicants generally pay more.
Where you live in Virginia — pricing varies by county and rating area.
Tobacco use — often affects the rate.
Who's covered — an individual, a couple, or a whole family.
The deductible and coverage level you choose — lower out-of-pocket exposure usually means a higher premium.
The length of the term — short-term pricing reflects how long the coverage runs, and in Virginia that's capped at a 3-month term and 6 months in any 12-month period.
What Virginia requires — because these plans must cover a set of minimum benefits and cap pre-existing exclusions at three months, they behave differently from bare-bones short-term plans in other states.

For ACA marketplace plans, cost works differently: your premium depends on income (which determines subsidy eligibility), age, county, tobacco use, and the metal level you pick. Because Virginia expanded Medicaid, some lower-income residents may qualify for Medicaid at little or no cost instead.

MG Matthew T. Giberti Licensed Expert · NPN 20698856 · Updated July 2026

Short-term health insurance is not major medical coverage and is not minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act. In Virginia these plans may exclude pre-existing conditions for up to three months (with credit for prior coverage), must meet Virginia's minimum-benefit requirements, and are not guaranteed renewable; they are not required to cover essential health benefits such as maternity care, prescription drugs, mental health services, or preventive care. They may impose annual or lifetime dollar limits. Short-term coverage does not satisfy any applicable coverage requirements and does not qualify you for ACA premium subsidies.

GetHealthPlans.com is operated by MTG Insurance Agency, an independent, carrier-neutral brokerage. We do not issue insurance and are not a government agency or the health insurance marketplace. Regulatory details on this page reflect Virginia law and Virginia State Corporation Commission — Bureau of Insurance guidance as of the last-reviewed date and can change; confirm current terms and the specific plan's approved form before you enroll.