Photographer: Alex Flynn/Bloomberg
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger this week signed into law several bills that she said will address health care costs, make prescription drugs more affordable and ensure that more residents have access to the care they need.
"Everywhere I go, people talk to me about the high cost of health care, both at the doctor's office and the pharmacy counter," she said. "That's why I made affordability the cornerstone of my legislative agenda and why we're taking decisive action to make health care more affordable for Virginia families."
A bipartisan bill caps the out-of-pocket cost of a 30-day supply of insulin.
"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. These are priorities that all of us can embrace and why I'm also proud to say that every bill we're signing today passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support."
Spanberger also signed legislation to crack down on prior authorizations to prevent costly delays in patient care. Two additional bills specifically address drug costs. Bipartisan HB328 expands the essential health benefits benchmark plan to include coverage for doula care, infertility treatment, hearing aids and more. HB484, also passed with bipartisan support, encourages providers to offer more affordable care by limiting health insurance carriers from downcoding certain claims.
In March, the governor signed legislation into law to stop pharmacy benefit managers from hiking up the cost of prescription drugs. Spanberger also recently signed a package of bipartisan legislation to improve and expand health care coverage for Virginia mothers and families, particularly women who face the highest risks.
"These bills are a significant step forward to make sure that when your family needs care, you can get it," she said. "When your doctor writes a prescription, you can afford to fill it. And when you get sick, the cost of getting better doesn't break the bank."
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