I can still arrange a nationwide PPO for you in West Virginia. Here's how a nurse leaving a permanent hospital position in Huntington for travel assignments can maintain health coverage throughout that transition.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber, and I'm licensed as an insurance broker in 36 states. I help nurses who maintain a West Virginia home arrange their health coverage over the phone, even while they're away working contracts.
Imagine a nurse who's worked eight years on the med-surg floor of a Huntington hospital. She's just joined a travel agency but plans to keep her home near Ritter Park. Charlotte is her first assignment, followed by Raleigh. Her hospital benefits stop when she finishes her final staff shift, yet her travel contract doesn't begin for several weeks. She also doesn't know whether agency insurance becomes effective on her first day. So she needs answers to two questions: what protects her during that break, and what coverage makes sense as she continues traveling?
For 2026, every West Virginia county offers the same marketplace selection: 37 individual medical plans issued by two insurance companies. One provides the complete group of 15 PPOs, while the other offers all 22 HMOs. Compare the lowest-priced silver policy in each category for someone age 40, without applying credits, and the PPO costs 3.5% less than the HMO across all 55 counties.
I can also help West Virginia residents purchase a nationwide PPO outside the marketplace. For travel nurses, that option is worth examining because its network is designed to serve you in Huntington, Charlotte and Raleigh. It's private coverage, with pricing determined after the insurer reviews your health information.
Marketplace premiums depend on your county, and Cabell is among the most expensive. The lowest-priced silver option in Cabell, Mason, Putnam and Wayne counties costs more than the comparable option anywhere else in West Virginia, sitting 24% above Berkeley and Jefferson counties. KFF also reports that the state's average benchmark silver premium for a 40-year-old increased 16.8% between 2025 and 2026.
Of course, those full premiums matter only when you're paying without assistance. Premium credits generally apply when household income falls between 100% and 400% of the poverty level. With enough travel contracts during the year, your earnings can move beyond that range.
When you leave your hospital job and lose employer coverage, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. It applies when that coverage ended within the previous 60 days or will end within the next 60, letting you choose replacement insurance before your final shift. Confirm exactly when the travel agency's benefits begin, and have hospital HR price continued coverage for the intervening weeks. Then we can compare those choices.
Next step: Tell me the date your staff benefits end and when your first travel contract begins, and I'll compare the lowest-cost ways to insure the time between them.
Once your annual earnings exceed four times the poverty level, premium credits no longer apply. That leaves you paying Cabell County's full marketplace rates, the highest in West Virginia. A private nationwide PPO deserves comparison at that point. The company reviews your medical history and may approve you, accept you while excluding one condition, or decline coverage. Healthy nurses often receive prices below unsubsidized marketplace premiums, with a network available throughout their assignments. Before you decide, I'll explain each plan's benefits and differences.
Next step: Reach out while you're between assignments, and I'll compare nationwide PPO pricing with the full premiums for marketplace plans in Cabell County.
Contracts sometimes finish sooner than expected, and you may decide to spend more time off. If that brings annual earnings into the tax credit range, HealthCare.gov generally becomes the lower-cost choice. The marketplace silver PPO is often especially attractive because its premium is below the HMO's and it provides some reimbursement for out-of-network services, although you'll pay more for that care. Just check its North Carolina provider network before assuming you'll have access there.
Next step: Send me your updated contract schedule and expected annual earnings, and I'll compare the Cabell County PPO and HMO after accounting for your premium credit.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
Your county determines the premium. Cabell County has West Virginia's highest-priced lowest-cost silver plan, coming in 24% above the Eastern Panhandle.
Yes. Losing employer health insurance can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period beginning as early as 60 days before coverage ends.
The PPO is less expensive. Across every county, its lowest-priced silver option costs 3.5% below the comparable silver HMO.
Absolutely. If you're a nurse in good health, I can help you purchase private nationwide PPO coverage that follows you wherever you're assigned and continues protecting you when you're back home.
Let me know when your hospital employment ends, the date your first travel assignment begins, what insurance the agency provides, and your estimated annual income. I'll help plan coverage so none of the weeks between those dates gets overlooked.
The guide for every state, and other work I help with