Officials pictured: State Senator Frank Ruff; Delegate Ellen Campbell, wife of late Del. Ronnie Campbell; Delegate Shelly Simonds; Mrs. Collette McEachin, Richmond City Commonwealth Attorney, and wife of late Congressman McEachin.
VBCF was invited to speak at the Virginia Cancer Caucus on January 20th. The meeting honored the late Congressman A. Donald McEachin and the late Delegate Ronnie Campbell. It was wonderful to see so many legislators in attendance and to hear the latest in cancer research and medicine. VBCF is grateful to work with many state partners on legislative actions to improve cancer care in our Commonwealth.
The Virginia General Assembly convened on January 11th, and things are moving quickly! It’s a short-session year (scheduled to end on February 25th) so bills are moving through committees at a rapid pace. Below is an update on the bills VBCF supports. We will send follow-up action items for Advocates when needed.
Breast Cancer-Specific Legislation
HB1815 – Health insurance coverage for diagnostic breast examinations
This bill increases access to medically necessary diagnostic breast imaging, including diagnostic mammography, MRIs, and ultrasounds, by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for patients, such as co-pays, coinsurance, and annual deductibles.
HB1815 is similar to legislation VBCF championed in 2022. This year, we are working with national Susan G. Komen staff on this bill. Delegate Shelly Simonds (D-94th) and Delegate Delores McQuinn (D-70th) are the chief and co-patrons of this bill, respectively.
This bill was heard in the House Commerce and Energy subcommittee late last week, and VBCF staff provided testimony in support. Although the bill was “tabled” and is not moving onto the full Committee, the Subcommittee sent it on to the Health Insurance Reform Commission for review. In Virginia, all legislation seeking to add benefits to health care plans that the state oversees must first be reviewed by this Commission. We will work to support the bill’s progress through the review process.
Prescription Affordability Legislation
VBCF is also supporting several bills related to prescription drug costs. Treatment for breast cancer can be extremely expensive, and many patients take prescription drugs for years as part of their treatment plan. These bills aim to help reduce the high costs of prescription drugs from a few different angles:
HB1782 /SB 1482 Health insurance; Ensuring Fairness in Cost-Sharing
These bills require Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) rebates to be passed onto patients at the point of sale. PBMs negotiate discounted prices from drug manufacturers for insurance companies, but those discounted prices are not passed on to the patient. This bill would require at least 80% of rebates and discounts to be passed through to patients.
VBCF is a member of the Patient Pocket Protector Coalition, supporting the passage of this legislation. You can find out more about this issue at: https://valovesrxsavings.org/
HB1596 /SB987 Prescription Drug Affordability Board and Fund
These bills establish a “Prescription Drug Affordability Board” to review high-cost prescription drugs and make recommendations for cost-caps on those drugs if the board decides the drug in question is otherwise unaffordable to consumers.
Budget Amendment – SB800 – Prescription Affordability Work Group
This budget amendment requires the Virginia Bureau of Insurance to convene a work group to review the current landscape of public policy options as they relate to out-of-pocket cost-sharing structures in insurance plans and offer solutions to overcoming patient affordability barriers for prescription drugs.
Paid Family and Medical Leave & Paid Sick Leave Legislation
VBCF supports paid leave and paid sick days for all employees so that all employees can take time off to get needed medical care, including treatment for breast cancer. We support the following bills:
HB1988; HB 2087; SB886 – These bills expand paid sick leave coverage for more employees in Virginia
SB1101 – This bill would establish a paid family and medical leave program in Virginia
Sign up for VBCF Advocacy Alerts to stay informed as the session continues. Questions? Contact: Kirsta Millar, kirsta@vbcf.org
