FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2026
Patients Rising applauds Governor Abigail Spanberger for vetoing HB483 and SB271, legislation that would have established a Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Panel (PDAAP) in Virginia. Her decision puts Virginia patients first and reflects a clear-eyed reading of the evidence.
"Virginia patients want real relief from the cost of their medicines, and Governor Spanberger heard them. She made the right call. Reporting savings is not the same as delivering savings. This veto rejects a costly experiment and opens the door to policies that actually lower what patients pay at the pharmacy counter." — Terry Wilcox, Co-Founder and Chief Patient Advocate, Patients Rising
As the Governor noted in her veto statement, drug affordability boards in other states have proven both expensive and ineffective. Several states have already repealed them or are actively considering doing so. Importing federal Medicare price controls into Virginia's broader healthcare market is an untested policy experiment — one that risks disrupting access for patients who rely on complex therapies in areas like oncology, rare disease, autoimmune care, and mental health, with no guarantee that a single dollar in savings ever reaches the pharmacy counter.
Studies and stewardship boards have their place. But Virginia patients cannot afford to wait years for a panel to deliver a report while their out-of-pocket costs keep climbing.
This session, the Governor signed meaningful legislation that does deliver for patients — holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable, requiring insurance carriers to offer plans that cap monthly out-of-pocket drug costs, and limiting the price of insulin and diabetes equipment. These are the kinds of reforms patients feel immediately, at the moment they need their medicine. They reflect a model worth building on: transparency, accountability, and direct relief.
The path to lower drug costs in Virginia runs through the entities that actually decide what patients pay — insurers and pharmacy benefit managers control that access, set cost-sharing, and determine whether rebates and discounts ever reach patients. Patients Rising will continue working with leaders in Richmond and beyond to advance policies grounded in transparency, accountability, and patient relief — policies that lower what Virginians actually pay and protect access to the treatments their doctors prescribe.
We thank Governor Spanberger for listening to patients, weighing the evidence, and choosing the path that protects both affordability and access.
About Patients Rising Patients Rising is a national patient advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring patients have access to vital therapies and services, and a strong voice in the policies that shape their care.
Media Email: media@patientsrising.org