Virginia Cancer Action Center

The General Assembly has approved Senate Bill 161/House Bill 625, a bipartisan proposal to provide Virginians with the option to choose insurance plans with flat-dollar copays for prescription drugs. This would ensure that health plans do not solely rely on coinsurance models where patients are forced to pay a percentage of their medication’s cost. Leading patient advocacy organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society), applaud Virginia lawmakers for passing this critical legislation to ensure patients have affordable and predictable access to life-saving treatment. It now heads to Governor Spanberger’s desk, where over a dozen organizations across the Commonwealth are urging her signature.

With crossover day looming, survivor advocates with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) are celebrating the passage of Senate Bill 161/House Bill 625 in their respective chambers. The same advocates gathered at the General Assembly earlier this month for ACS CAN’s annual Cancer Action Day to push for the legislation that would require insurers to offer flat-dollar copay-only plans instead of relying solely on coinsurance, which forces patients to pay a percentage of their medication’s cost. If signed by Governor Spanberger, more Virginians will gain more options and encounter fewer surprises when it comes to the cost of their care.

Last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin approved legislation to reduce the burden of medical debt on Virginians. The proposal, which was championed by Delegate Karrie Delaney in the Legislature (House Bill 1725), will limit the burden of medical debt by ensuring that interest rates on medical debt are limited to 3% a year, wage garnishment is prohibited for all patients who quality for financial assistance programs and patients’ core financial assets, like their home, are safeguarded.

Earlier this month, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 1828, advancing the bipartisan proposal around breast cancer screening access to Governor Youngkin’s desk. The vote came on the heels of a new report from the American Cancer Society that revealed a shift in the burden