Spanberger Vetoes Virginia Drug Board Bills, Blocking 12th State Effort Over Cost Concerns
Updated
Updated · WHRO · May 20
Spanberger Vetoes Virginia Drug Board Bills, Blocking 12th State Effort Over Cost Concerns
10 articles · Updated · WHRO · May 20
Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday rejected HB483 and SB271, killing Virginia’s latest bid to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board after a five-year push and a third veto across two governors.
Spanberger said boards in other states have proved costly and ineffective, even after this year’s narrower version shifted from direct price-setting to helping extend federal Medicare drug caps to state-regulated plans.
Backers said the measure had gained stronger bipartisan support, with federal caps already covering 10 drugs this year and 15 more expected next year; Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. Michael Webert said they will try again in 2027.
The veto drew praise from PhRMA and criticism from bipartisan supporters who said it undercut Spanberger’s affordability agenda; had she signed it, Virginia would have become the 12th state with such a board.
The decision lands as Virginia remains in a budget standoff before a July 1 deadline, with healthcare consuming about a third of spending and roughly 33,000 residents already losing ACA coverage after federal subsidies expired.
Virginia vetoed its drug price board. Is federal action now the only real path to affordable medicine?
As states debate drug price caps, could a single lawsuit in Colorado derail these efforts nationwide?
With price controls facing hurdles, what alternative solutions can actually lower patients' out-of-pocket drug costs?