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AARP Virginia Urges Governor Spanberger to Sign The Affordable Medicine Act
84% of Virginia voters support a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
Getty Images
RICHMOND — Legislation that will give all Virginians the same discounts on drug prices now available to people on Medicare is on its way to Governor Abigail Spanberger after being passed by both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates with strong bipartisan support.
An updated version of The Affordable Medicine Act passed the Senate on March 11 by a margin of 36-4, a day after the House of Delegates passed the measure by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 95-4 vote.
“While a member of Congress, Governor Spanberger was a vocal supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act, which gave Medicare the ability to negotiate down the prices of high-cost prescription drugs,” said AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau. “Now, Governor Spanberger has the opportunity to deliver once again for Virginians who aren’t enrolled in Medicare by signing the Affordable Medicine Act — holding Big Pharma accountable, increasing PBM transparency and bringing badly needed savings to Virginians struggling with their health care costs.”
This is the third year the General Assembly has passed a bill to lower prescription drug costs for Virginia. Each of the previous bills was vetoed by former Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Senate Bill 271 and House Bill 483 make the Medicare‑negotiated prices for prescription drugs available to hundreds of thousands of Virginians who are not enrolled in Medicare. The updated legislation would also create a Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Panel, empowered to report to the General Assembly on prescription drug pricing and to make future policy recommendations to lower consumer costs. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Karrie Delaney (D‑Centreville), and the Senate version is carried by Senator Creigh Deeds (D‑Charlottesville).
An AARP voter survey conducted last year showed that a majority of Virginians support measures to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, including 84% who said they support the affordability board concept.
With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50+ and their families in the Commonwealth. In recent years, AARP Virginia has successfully fought for Medicaid expansion, protection for older people against financial exploitation, nursing home staffing standards and empowering family caregivers.
To learn more about AARP Virginia, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on X at www.x.com/aarpva.
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit aarp.org, aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.
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