January 13, 2026
Legislation that would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Virginia with authority to set upper payment limits was reintroduced by Delegate Delaney on January 12th. In response, Mark Hobraczk, Legislative Lead of the EACH/PIC Coalition issued the following statement:
“We urge the General Assembly to pause consideration of establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) until its impact on patients can be fully evaluated.
“PDABs are designed to manage state spending, not to directly lower what patients pay or resolve the patient-reported barriers that drive affordability challenges. These boards have not reduced patient out-of-pocket costs in other states, and studies show artificial price caps under Medicare are creating added barriers between patients and their medically necessary treatments.
“Rather than creating a PDAB, Virginia should prioritize targeted reforms that cap patient out-of-pocket costs and reform anti-competitive pharmacy benefit manager practices that artificially drive-up prices. We stand ready to work with the General Assembly on solutions that meaningfully lower costs, address patients’ barriers to care, and improve access for Virginia patients.”
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The Ensuring Access through Collaborative Health (EACH) and Patient Inclusion Council (PIC) is a two-part coalition that unites patient organizations and allied groups (EACH), as well as patients and caregivers (PIC), to advocate for drug affordability policies that benefit patients.