Virginia Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Virginia?

Virginia climbed two spots higher – from 22nd to 20th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Poor mental health days – 8th
• Public health funding – 9th
• Violent crime – 11th
• Poor physical health days – 12th
• Immunization coverage – 30th
• Infant mortality – 30th
• Geographic disparity – 41st

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Virginia.

Does Virginia have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Virginia does not offer a risk pool for its citizen's who are medically-uninsurable.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Virginia

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Virginia and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Virginia.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Virginia

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Virginia.

Official State Goverment Sites with Virginia Health Insurance Information

Virginia's Bureau of Insurance – consumer information for state citizens dealing with agents or companies.

Virginia Department of Health – a site rich in information for Virginia citizens concerned about their health.

Virginia Health Insurance Guide for Consumers State of Virgina's PDF document with information about traditional health insurance and managed care health insurance plans.

FAMIS (Family Access to Medical Insuracne Security) – is Virginia's low-cost health insurance for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but do not have private health insurance.
Bienvenida al sitio Web de FAMIS – is Virginia's low-cost health insurance for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but do not have private health insurance.

Health Care Advocacy Groups in Virginia

Virginia Organizing Project – a statewide grassroots social justice group working to mobilize citizens to lobby for more affordable health care.