2026 Virginia Legislative Priorities

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Priorities

50,000 Virginians will face cancer this year. Help them survive and build a cancer-free future for Virginia.

Accessing and Affording Care

• SB 161 (Sen. Perry) and HB 625 (Del. Henson) – Out-of-Pocket Cost Transparency
  Virginians deserve real choices and no surprises. SB 161 requires insurers to offer at least some plans with flat-dollar copays for prescription drugs, instead of only coinsurance options, giving patients an option to choose a plan with predictability and control over their budgets.

Transparency saves lives, because when patients can plan the cost of care, they’re less likely to abandon treatment.

• SB 2 (Sen. Boysko) and HB 1207 (Del. Sewell) – Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
  Cancer treatment is time-intensive and unpredictable. Without paid leave, patients and caregivers face impossible choices: delay lifesaving treatment or lose their livelihood and health coverage. SB 2 ensures workers can take time to address serious health conditions or care for loved ones while receiving partial wage replacement.

Less financial hardship. Stronger health outcomes. Greater job security.

• HB 435 (Del. LeVere Bolling) – Palliative Care

Expands access to palliative care and timely information and support. It addresses major gaps and reduces disparities while delivering cost savings and improved quality of life for patients and families.

Early palliative care reduces hospital costs by 22–32%, cuts ICU use, and shortens costly hospital stays, all while improving patient outcomes and lowering caregiver burden.

• HB 87 (Del. Laufer)– Patient-to-Provider Coverage
  Ensures patients access to providers they trust, improving continuity of care and treatment.
• Every Women’s Life (EWL), Virginia Cancer Registry, and Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Funding

Support budget amendments to protect free screenings and the efforts to combat cancer in Virginia.

Save Virginia’s Quitline, Protect Cancer Prevention

• Save the Tobacco Quitline and Comprehensive Tobacco Program!

Funding for the Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program will end in April ‘26 unless the state acts, ending the Quitline, leaving thousands without cessation support. Support the budget amendment of $2.6M annually to sustain Quitline services and prevention programs. Quitline users are 2–3 times more likely to quit than those who try alone, and the program saves $3.16 for every $1 spent in medical costs and productivity losses.

Without this funding, Virginia would be the only state without a Quitline. This investment prevents cancer, heart disease, and other leading causes of death while reducing health care costs.

• HB 220 (Del. Hope) – Tobacco Surcharge Sunset Repeal
  Tobacco surcharges on health insurance premiums do not help people quit. Instead, they make coverage unaffordable, reducing enrollment and access to preventive care, and disproportionately harming low-income Virginians and communities of color.  Aligns access to coverage and cessation resources with evidence-based strategies to reduce tobacco use without creating financial barriers.

Mollie Montague | Government Relations Director

[email protected] | 804.832.9017

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