Healthcare

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 641: Office-based buprenorphine treatment; Board of Medicine to amend regulations.

Board of Medicine; office-based buprenorphine treatment; counseling. Directs the Board of Medicine to amend its regulations regarding office-based buprenorphine treatment to require providers to offer counseling or referral to counseling to each patient as clinically necessary and mutually agreed-upon. The bill specifies that a patient's refusal of counseling does not preclude the patient from receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care and is identical to HB 712.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires counseling referrals for buprenorphine treatment, expanding access to comprehensive opioid use disorder care without restricting treatment eligibility.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medical Licensing Substance Abuse

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 3, 2026

HB 87: State plan for med. assistance; patient-initiated consultation, provider-to-provider consultation.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; state plan for medical assistance; patient-initiated consultation; provider-to-provider consultation. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to modify state plan provisions covering provider-to-provider consultations to also include patient-generated consultations. The bill specifies that consultations provided through telemedicine services, including audio-only telemedicine services where applicable, shall be included in such provision. This bill was incorporated into HB 1284.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands telemedicine access for patient-initiated consultations, improving healthcare access under medical assistance program95% confidence

Sub-Topics Telehealth

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 425: Pregnant and postpartum patients; reimbursement for remote monitoring services through pregnancy.

Department of Medical Assistance Services; remote monitoring services through pregnancy and postpartum for high-risk pregnant patients; reimbursement. Expands provision for payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services provided via telemedicine to include high-risk pregnant persons through 12 months postpartum. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to assess expanding similar provision of payment for patients with advanced maternal age and submit a report of its findings to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands telemedicine coverage for all pregnant/postpartum patients, increasing access beyond current high-risk-only policy, directly advancing healthcare access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Telehealth

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

Sub-Topics Drug Policy Hospitals

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 392: Sickle cell disease education and screening program; cancer risk.

Sickle cell disease education and screening program; cancer risk. Requires the sickle cell screening and treatment program to include the offering of educational resources to health care providers on the increased risks for certain cancers among individuals with sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAdds kidney cancer screening to sickle cell disease program for at-risk adults, expanding preventive health services and improving patient access to screenings.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Substance Abuse

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 605: Nursing facilities; Joint Commission on Health Care shall evaluate workforce.

Joint Commission on Health Care; evaluation of workforce in Virginia nursing facilities. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to evaluate the workforce in Virginia's nursing facilities and to develop recommendations on several topics outlined in the bill. The bill requires the Joint Commission to report its findings to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committees on Health and Human Services and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations by December 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires 3.25 nurse hours/resident/day in nursing homes, strengthens staffing standards, and authorizes enforcement to improve care quality and patient safety.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Long-Term Care

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1370: Service providers; regulations for providers to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; regulations; service providers; emergency medical simulations; cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Directs the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adopt regulations requiring certain providers to (i) conduct regular emergency medical simulations and train employees that regularly engage with people receiving services to prepare such employees to recognize and respond to situations where individuals receiving services require emergency medical treatment and (ii) require at least one employee trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation to be on duty at each location where services are delivered.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates emergency medical drills for developmental disability service providers, strengthening safety protocols for vulnerable patients during medical emergencies.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health

vetoed · Virginia · Senate Apr 11, 2026

SB 361: Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs & devices, including over-the-counter.

Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices. Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage, under any health insurance contract, policy, or plan that includes coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis, for contraceptive drugs and contraceptive devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including those available over-the-counter. The bill prohibits a health insurance carrier from imposing upon any person receiving prescription contraceptive benefits pursuant to the provisions of the bill any copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee, except in certain circumstances. Additionally, the bill requires any health benefit plan that provides coverage for hormonal contraceptives to provide point-of-sale coverage without cost-sharing at in-network pharmacies for hormonal contraceptives available over-the-counter. This bill is identical to HB 1182.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates comprehensive contraceptive coverage under health insurance, expanding access to reproductive health services without restrictions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance Prescription Drugs Women's Health

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 424: Health insurance; definitions, prohibited restrictions on in-network referrals.

Health insurance; prohibited restrictions on in-network referrals. Prohibits a health insurance carrier from prohibiting an in-network provider, as defined in the bill, from referring any enrollee or specimen to any in-network clinical laboratory or in-network pathology service provider under the terms of such insurance unless such referral would constitute a violation of certain laws. This bill is identical to SB 745.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits insurers from restricting in-network referrals, improving patient access to care within insurance networks without unnecessary barriers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 257: Comprehensive plan; social determinants of health.

Comprehensive plan; social determinants of health. Encourages localities to utilize relevant and available data and research related to social determinants of health to consider how the locality's adopted comprehensive plan will impact the locality's overall public health and access to health care services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEncourages data-driven planning to improve public health and health care access, aligning with supportive indicators.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health