Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 813: Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network; established.

Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network established. Directs the State Health Commissioner, in coordination with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems Authority, to establish and maintain the Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network to provide health care providers in the Commonwealth with real-time consultation and support from sickle cell specialists. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1391.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes real-time specialist consultation network to improve sickle cell patient access to care, directly advancing healthcare access for a specific condition.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 75: Medical cannabis; administration to terminally ill patients, report.

Medical cannabis; administration to terminally ill patients; report. Directs the Department of Health to promulgate regulations specifying that hospital staff may store, dispense, and administer cannabis oil when a patient has valid certification and exempts such staff from criminal penalties for possession of cannabis oil. The bill directs the Department of Health to convene a work group to discuss the implementation process for providing cannabis products to patients in medical care facilities and report on its discussion to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2026. This bill incorporates HB 486. This bill is identical to SB 332.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExempts hospital staff from criminal penalties for medical cannabis administration, reducing unnecessary criminalization. Aligns with criminal justice reform by removing penalties for regulated medical activity.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates medical facilities to permit and facilitate medical cannabis use for terminally ill patients, improving access to treatment options within healthcare settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 830: Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements, application of law, report, delayed effective date.

Pharmacy benefits managers; requirements; scope; report. Requires all health insurance carriers to use the pass-through pricing model and may limit a pharmacy benefits manager from deriving income from pharmacy benefits management services provided to a carrier except for income derived from a pharmacy benefits management fee. The bill prohibits a pharmacy benefits manager from (i) reversing and or resubmitting the claim of a pharmacist or pharmacy without meeting certain requirements, (ii) reducing any payment to a pharmacist or pharmacy to an effective rate of reimbursement, or (iii) retroactively denying or reducing a claim or aggregate of claims except under certain circumstances. The bill requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to examine the practice of carriers or pharmacy benefits managers requiring or inducing covered individuals to utilize pharmacy services at an affiliated pharmacy. The Commission is required to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2027. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to SB 669.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRegulates PBMs to prevent hidden fees and require pass-through pricing, improving drug cost transparency and patient access to medications, aligning with healthcare access protections.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1214: Health insurance; cost-sharing payments for insulin and diabetes equipment and supplies, limit.

Health insurance; cost-sharing payments for insulin and diabetes equipment and supplies; limit. Decreases the cap on the cost-sharing payment that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription insulin drug from $50 to $35 for a 30-day supply of the prescription insulin drug and provides such cap is an aggregate cap that applies in situations where the covered person is prescribed more than one insulin drug. The bill also establishes such an aggregate cap of $35 for a 30-day supply of diabetes equipment and supplies.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareReduces patient cost-sharing for insulin from $50 to $35 per 30-day supply, improving affordability and access to essential diabetes treatment.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

vetoed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1207: Paid family & med. leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action, report.

Paid family and medical leave insurance program; notice requirements; civil action. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning April 1, 2028. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals, as defined in the bill, for family and medical leave. Funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning April 1, 2028. The bill provides that the amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's average weekly net earnings, not to exceed 100 percent of the statewide average weekly net earnings, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The bill caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year and provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program. This bill is identical to SB 2.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes paid medical leave insurance program, expanding access to healthcare services by providing income replacement for medical/family needs, directly aligning with healthcare coverage expansion indicators.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes mandatory paid family/medical leave insurance program with employer/employee premiums, expanding worker benefits and protections effective 2029.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1353: Statewide maternal health safety initiative; Commissioner of Health, et al., to evaluate, report.

Commissioner of Health; feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative; work group; reports. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders, described in the bill, to evaluate the feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative. The bill directs the Commissioner to submit an interim report of the work group by November 1, 2026, and a final report with the work group's recommendations no later than July 1, 2027, to the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Commission on Women's Health.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill directs feasibility study for statewide maternal health safety initiative, indicating intent to advance maternal healthcare policies through future recommendations and reports.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 164: Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices, downcoded claims.

Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices; downcoded claims. Prohibits a carrier, intermediary, administrator, or representative of a carrier from downcoding a claim unless the decision to downcode is determined by a person or electronic system that reflects correct coding standards and considers all relevant patient data from the billing provider in making the determination. The bill requires a carrier, intermediary, administrator, or representative that downcodes a claim to provide certain notice to the provider. The bill requires that all downcoding dispute decisions are reviewed and adjudicated by a natural person.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits downcoding without physician review, protecting providers from unfair claim denials and advancing patient rights in health insurance practices.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 278: Federal 340-B Drug Pricing Program; impacts within the Commonwealth.

Drug manufacturers; 340B Drug Pricing Program; work group; report. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program within the Commonwealth, with emphasis on governance, transparency, and the availability of pharmacy services in rural and underserved areas. The bill requires the work group to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services by November 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires drug manufacturers to certify no restrictions on 340B drug access, ensuring covered entities maintain affordable medication availability for patients, directly supporting healthcare access.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 308: Drug overdose and drug overdose deaths; VDH to develop plan for opioid overdose response.

Department of Health; reduction of opioid overdose and opioid overdose deaths; report. Directs the Department of Health to develop a strategic plan for opioid overdose response to reduce rates of drug overdose and drug overdose deaths in the Commonwealth and to provide a report on the status of such strategic plan and its implementation to the Governor, the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations, and the Joint Commission on Health Care by November 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 794.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDirects Department of Health to develop opioid response plan, enhancing public health initiatives to reduce overdose deaths and improve treatment access.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 404: Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund; established.

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund. Establishes the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund to provide grant installment awards between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2045, in an amount not to exceed $15 million per fiscal year and in an aggregate amount not to exceed $130 million, to a qualified company that (i) engages in the manufacture of pharmaceutical substances, (ii) executes a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth, and (iii) is expected to make a capital investment of at least $2,148,793,019 and create and maintain at least 468 new full-time jobs. This bill is identical to HB 800.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes $130M grant fund for pharmaceutical manufacturing, directly advancing healthcare supply chain infrastructure and medication access.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare