Spanberger Signs Bipartisan Healthcare Affordability Bills in Fairfax

On May 13, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a package of bipartisan healthcare bills aimed at lowering prescription drug costs, expanding insurance coverage, and reducing barriers to medical treatment for Virginians.

The signing ceremony took place at Inova Schar Cancer Institute, where lawmakers, healthcare leaders, advocates, and patients gathered to celebrate legislation supporters described as a major step toward improving healthcare affordability and access across the Commonwealth.

“Everywhere I go, people talk to me about the high cost of healthcare, both at the doctor’s office and the pharmacy counter,” Spanberger said. “That’s why I made affordability the cornerstone of my legislative agenda—and why we’re taking decisive action to make healthcare more affordable for Virginia families.”
Among the measures signed into law was House Bill 1214, sponsored by Delegate Karrie Delaney, which caps the out-of-pocket cost of a 30-day supply of insulin at $35 for state-regulated insurance plans.

“No Virginian should be rationing insulin because of what it costs at the pharmacy counter,” Spanberger said. “That’s why we’re capping the out-of-pocket cost of a 30-day supply at $35.

This is a huge deal for the 800,000 Virginians living with diabetes.”

Spanberger also signed legislation requiring Marketplace insurers to offer plans with caps on monthly prescription drug costs. The bipartisan bills—HB625 and SB161—were sponsored by Delegate Rozia Henson and Senator Russet Perry.

Additional legislation signed Tuesday included HB736, sponsored by Delegate Michelle Maldonado, which limits prior authorization requirements that can delay patient care. Another bill, HB328 from Delegate Rip Sullivan, expands Virginia’s essential health benefits benchmark plan to include doula care, infertility treatment, hearing aids, and other services.

HB484 and SB164, sponsored by Delegate Irene Shin and Senator Jeremy McPike, restrict insurers from downcoding certain medical claims, a practice critics say can reduce reimbursement for providers and increase costs for patients.

Healthcare leaders at the event praised the legislation’s potential impact.

“I want to thank the governor, legislators and staff who work behind every bill, behind every policy decision, is a Virginian who needs action,” said Steven Jones, president and CEO of Inova. “Inova serves 1.2 million of those unique patients every year. Each one is a life, a family and a story.”

Jones highlighted the healthcare system’s work to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs.

“A recent, recent Inova Schar study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Practice showed our same day care model multidisciplinary delivers better outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and lower cost, exactly the goals of this legislation,” he said.

Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa framed the legislation as especially important amid uncertainty surrounding potential federal healthcare policy changes.

“We’re living through a moment when the federal government is making decisions about health care that will reach into the lives of ordinary Virginians in ways most people haven’t fully felt,” Figueroa said.

“That is what we are here to prevent,” he continued. “It is exactly why what we are doing today really matters.”

During her remarks, Spanberger emphasized that the bills passed with bipartisan support in the General Assembly.

“These are priorities that all of us can embrace,” she said, “and that’s why I’m proud to say that every bill I’m signing today passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support.”

She also described hearing from physicians about how insurance prior authorization requirements can interfere with treatment decisions.

“A new patient should have to wait weeks while their insurance company second guesses a decision their doctor has already made,” Spanberger said. “And so, we’re cracking down on prior authorization delays that stand between Virginians and the care they’ve been prescribed.”

At the close of the ceremony, Spanberger thanked lawmakers and advocates who supported the measures.

“The number of lives that will be changed for years into the future is pretty extraordinary,” she said. “I think today is a day that you all know, all of those who voted on these bills, that we can be proud of, because we know that we are impacting people’s lives and delivering on things we promised.”