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Virginia Senate Passes Affordable Medicine Act with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support
House of Delegates will vote on the legislation next week
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RICHMOND — Legislation to help rein in the cost of prescription drugs for Virginians passed the Virginia Senate today by an overwhelming 31-8 vote. An identical House bill was recommended for reporting by a House appropriations subcommittee this afternoon with a bipartisan 6-1 vote and should be taken up on the floor next week.
Senate Bill 271/ House Bill 483, called The Affordable Medicine Act, would extend the Medicare negotiated drug prices on 25 drugs to hundreds of thousands of Virginians not enrolled in Medicare. It would also establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board that could look at other high-cost drugs and set upper payment limits on those medications that pose an affordability challenge to Virginians who need them. Twenty Senate Democrats and 11 Republicans voted to pass the bill, with just eight voting against. The bill’s chief patron is Senator Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville), and the House version is sponsored by Delegate Karrie Delaney (D-Centreville).
“The most frequent concern we hear from people around the state is their struggle to afford medications they need,” said Jim Dau, AARP Virginia state director. “For the last five years, advocates and a bipartisan coalition of legislators have worked to help them through the creation of a prescription drug affordability board. Along the way, public and legislative support has grown as the urgency of this issue has become impossible to ignore. AARP is deeply grateful for the bipartisan group of champions who have never wavered, and I hope that Governor Spanberger will listen to the 84% of Virginians who support this policy and sign the bill when it reaches her desk.”
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, protections 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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