A Virginia family health insurance company frequently provides coverage through employee or other group insurance and may cover the entire family. However, children may need their own health insurance and some insurance companies require a separate policy for each family member.

Family health insurance plans in Virginia are more expensive than individual health insurance because more people are covered and the scope of the coverage is typically greater. A Virginia family health insurance provider takes factors such as age, gender, tobacco usage and state of residency of each family member into account when determining a preliminary quote.

There are three key points to consider when evaluating VA family health insurance:

1. Your family’s specific needs. A Virginia family insurance plan should include a vision plan for a family with a history of poor eyesight. Likewise, a family that takes a lot of medication will require a prescription plan.
2. The exclusions. These are services or treatments that health insurance plans in Virginia will not cover. Most policies list exclusions in a specific section, but look for additional exclusions throughout the policy.
3. The premium. Virginia family health insurance providers with a high premium may provide services that your family won’t need.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Collect quotes from a variety of Virginia family health insurance providers

Family health insurance frequently will cover your entire family unless a family member has a pre-existing condition. In this case, the affected individual may require an individual policy. No matter what your family situation is, seek multiple quotes from different providers before you choose a plan.

I recommend: Apply with family health insurance companies in Virginia by completing the application form at Health Insurance Providers beginning with your zip code. The form at InsureLane also allows you to indicate a pre-existing condition on a family member.

Contact a specific agent when looking for family health insurance in Virginia

You may want to get family health insurance in Virginia through an agent who can make a recommendation based on your specific needs.

I recommend: Go to Insurance Traders and enter your zip code for a list of insurance agents in your area. Locate specific Celtic agents if you have enough of their personal information to identify them.

Get VA family health insurance plans from a specific carrier

Go straight to the carrier for quotes if you've already decided on the carrier and don't have a regular insurance broker.

I recommend: Anthem Health Plans of Virginia is one of the largest Virginia family health insurance companies. Small Business Insurance Solutions provides personal health insurance in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Providers of Virginia family health insurance use health maintenance organizations in local clinics as a less expensive option, which may be a good choice for families that are generally healthy. Point of service and preferred provider organization plans are more expensive but more flexible. Family members who need a specialist might prefer this type of plan. You should ensure that your family physician is a member of the POS or PPO network.
• •  Review your family health insurance expenditures for the previous year when selecting a new health plan. This may allow you to sensibly reduce your premium by increasing your deductible. Reduce a high premium by eliminating coverage for services your family doesn't really need. However, a policy with an unusually low premium may indicate inadequate coverage, difficulty in getting claims approved or slow payment.