Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed a bipartisan package of healthcare affordability bills at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax County May 13, advancing measures aimed at reducing prescription drug costs, limiting insurance-related delays in care and expanding covered health benefits for Virginians. Signed as part of Spanberger’s broader Affordable Virginia Plan, the bills sought to address rising healthcare costs through changes affecting medication pricing, insurance practices and patient coverage, according to several legislators.
“Because of the bills I signed today, when your family needs care, you can get it,” Spanberger wrote in a statement May 13 on X. “From capping the monthly out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 to cracking down on prior authorization delays, we are taking action to bring down healthcare costs.”
The legislative package included measures passed with bipartisan support in the Virginia General Assembly that sought to reduce healthcare expenses by establishing monthly caps for certain out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, limiting how often insurers can require patients to renew coverage approvals for ongoing treatments and expanding insurance protection for essential medications and diabetes-related medical equipment…