A bipartisan group of legislators hope to see an effort used in other states offer savings on prescription drugs in the Commonwealth.
They’re called Prescription Drug Affordability Boards, or PDABs. Eight states, including Maryland, Ohio and Colorado, have them and Northern Virginia Democratic Delegate Karrie Delaney, who has a child with diabetes, wants to see the same for Virginia.
“I want to live in a commonwealth where people like my child don’t have to weigh the cost of buying groceries against paying for their medication," Delaney said. "It is time to prioritize Virginians' health over Pharma’s profits.”
Colorado’s PDAB is the furthest along of established PDABs. First signed into law in 2021, five drugs are on deck for upper price limits, But the board has faced criticism, mostly for its slow work pace and cost.
Delaney got the same PDAB bill all the way to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk last year before he vetoed it, saying it could quote “limit access to treatments and hinder medical innovation.”
She said didn’t change this year’s bill to meet the governor’s demands. Instead, she pointed to bipartisan support from rural Republican legislators like Rockbridge County Delegate Ellen Campbell who said high drug costs were impacting her constituents.
“Do I pay for groceries? Do I put gas in my car? Do I pay for my utilities, or do I buy the drugs, the prescription drugs, that I really need?" Campbell said. "These are not things that they want to have, and when you're facing critical illnesses, you know you should not have to make those tough decisions.”
When asked if Youngkin had changed his stance on PDABs Radio IQ was referred back to his 2024 veto statement.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
