[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6379112,"mediaKeyId","2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6","parentId",2136722,"title","Committee hears bill to force PBMs to pass rebates to patients; bill postponed indefinitely","audioSeconds",665,"startMs",10765000,"endMs",11430000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6&start=10765&end=11430","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6/thumbnail_10765000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6379112/Virginia/Committee-hears-bill-to-force-PBMs-to-pass-rebates-to-patients-bill-postponed-indefinitely","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6379112-c58f6cfcc3311aee113f54717a9e7988/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032104&Signature=B-cymEX-ABjJMY9asndQJn4X-SMtIdbAZYEE-cqiL5NdNJSrlg5I7ywVg8fOdhsrcTX19tLMuzhe08DXxLE128mn9TQ49eYs4zTv5pcLOR0TehXVMoj2Weyftchr7HBcvAOzNxD5Cqry1XnQ43IczsmGcBU23ME4COwVHJIkHJWQ-uZAejhDVLe-paOkiBAttQ16dMfLlWmR5zHIrulAmCAEUo6XGK5Mdn0CNkLVk1ezTsfdKirRmjKXAaSBbnoKUbae4pSK8Y6alfZcEM8IVfHOQq3bUaNRQTE8YOfQ5l4V-Evh9RLT7Yo0jiS6FrTx9iEMwwyN-O18-yPZzDskHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Virginia Legislature","date","2025-01-20T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Peake presented SB 1078, a bill that would require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to pass negotiated manufacturer rebate savings through to patients at the pharmacy counter. Supporters — including patient advocates representing diabetes and other chronic conditions — told the committee rebates negotiated by PBMs are not currently passed to patients at point of sale, leaving patients paying higher out-of-pocket costs.

Three patient witnesses described the effect of high prescription drug costs: one said insulin and other chronic medications produced substantial out‑of‑pocket burdens when deductibles reset. Erin Callahan and other witnesses representing patient-advocacy groups urged the committee to prioritize point-of-sale rebate pass-through to reduce immediate patient expenses.

PBMs, health-plan representatives and trade groups testified in opposition. Doug Graham of the Virginia Association of Health Plans and other witnesses argued rebates are used to lower plan premiums and that mandating point-of-sale rebate pass-through could raise premiums and increase costs for employers and other covered populations. Industry witnesses said state-level mandates that do not apply to ERISA plans raise preemption and implementation concerns.

After testimony from both sides, committee members discussed policy and fiscal implications. Senator Peake asked the committee to report the bill for finance review; after debate the committee moved to pass SB 1078 by indefinitely (PBI), leaving the measure alive but off the immediate docket for further consideration.

Supporters said the measure would help patients living with diabetes and other chronic disease who face high co-pays and deductibles; opponents said the state-level policy could have unintended consequences for premiums and plan design.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","January 20, 2025 - Commerce and Labor - SR A (305) - 15 min. after adjournment","oneSentenceSummary","SB 1078 would require pharmacy benefit managers to pass a large share of manufacturer rebates through to patients at the point of sale. Supporters said it would lower out-of-pocket costs for people with chronic conditions; insurers and PBMs warned of higher premiums and fiscal effects. The committee voted to pass by indefinitely (PBI).","taxTitle","2025 Legislature VA, Virginia","taxId",77687,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6379116,"Committee approves tax-exemption bill for Virginia Railway Express surplus-line insurance purchases",300,228000,528000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6&start=228&end=528","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6/thumbnail_228000.jpg","/articles/6379116/Virginia/Committee-approves-tax-exemption-bill-for-Virginia-Railway-Express-surplus-line-insurance-purchases","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6379116-1352fd6d2aa5fab65aa56cae860c36a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032104&Signature=inzKmehDsPaBUXEaEW3Uk~CduJJpHT5aoiNFrCFRiZa~PB3qvnBfXLv0wqegHimdLDQ4Dearq7p~T4FAuxgUt251zFUXjQiWENozO7IvXhyxrfUtOHiIj3Ax0WNRpLxj0iIMW8wWnABpt1wFfc~-p0ugqhTqrZTciz2YYeaHWnFLOYjvJqMFaoR4f0PdPyunh4q0ja33t8Se~SMBEMwOEyj9P6cQHm0yITmdDI6x1sYaDwqHzIIkhdEPy2AL0toLl7NGO4A6SFUC~Vo34lFcsO2zTUdRRSPKj0lcATJ6pzIkhb~D952zHumibILpIRPPCuHzSib7bfjyoKxz3Ty6PQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Pokarski explained SB 1269, which would exempt surplus-line insurance policies procured by brokers on behalf of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) from state annual license taxes, penalties and other costs that currently apply to surplus-line purchases.

Pokarski told the committee the Virginia Department of the Treasury reviewed the proposal and recommended the exemption. He said VRE currently is exempt from state taxes on direct purchases, but because surplus lines must be bought through a broker, the broker incurs taxes that are passed back to VRE; exempting these purchases would reduce VRE’s costs by an estimated $100,000 per year.

Amy Perrinseibert, representing Virginia Railway Express, spoke in support and told senators that finance staff would need to assess whether the exemption should apply to other agencies with similar needs. Senators asked clarifying questions about other agencies that may be affected; witnesses named Virginia Tech and Virginia529 as having small impacts in the low thousands.

The committee moved to report SB 1269 to Senate Finance in a single block vote and the roll was recorded: the committee machine registered 15 ayes, 0 nays.

Sponsor’s office said it will work with finance staff and stakeholders during the Finance review to ensure the language covers VRE and, if appropriate, other state entities that have comparable surplus-line procurement needs.","SB 1269 would exempt surplus-line insurance procured through brokers for Virginia Railway Express from state taxes; sponsor said the exemption would save roughly $100,000 a year. The committee voted to refer the bill to Senate Finance (recorded vote: aye 15–0).",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6379121,"Committee advances competing bills on repetitive-motion workers’ compensation standard; debate focuses on 50% threshold",1425,2205000,3630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6&start=2205&end=3630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6/thumbnail_2205000.jpg","/articles/6379121/Virginia/Committee-advances-competing-bills-on-repetitive-motion-workers-compensation-standard-debate-focuses-on-50-threshold","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6379121-644ed13c250ba4d1937e27b8802cfa95/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032104&Signature=fsbINagupWL43tm~lGETOUWPPr7mZu169-pu6KiR~t41VIj8mnd4djqxxs1ok2OAaw~~pSawW2GMRGlZ6Cjwobj5vLxV~LF6nMcmV-hJmaFal4ZqRcObRcLS88yr4HR7RzLJgXYkxSdI0q8P~1uINMEE3b29xPgFY6r6n5sUa9ZTqTgbkCJQ67OWYSS5k~w7mL-DVJPC8Eazu6MBxGAe-EVKhfHESNHACYLq2Pf7i52luYTnfdjQdF1sglHN0nkbqpWzQauen5rW1R1Sigp31nv5NgtouS5lzXatoK9enDlyLMYNPIRgh3cRJQ9GHa7LpOZ2MTukQ~2-TVx0yjdNlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee held an extended debate on a set of bills that would change how repetitive-use and repetitive-motion injuries are handled under Virginia’s workers’ compensation system. Three concepts were before the panel: a Williams-Graves bill to expand coverage without a 50% primary-cause requirement; a McDougall/Head compromise that would include a delayed enactment and other guardrails; and an approach incorporating a 50% causation standard used in Tennessee.

Senator Williams Graves described her bill as a way to extend workers’ compensation coverage for repetitive-motion injuries without requiring claimants to prove that 50% of the injury was caused by work. Senator McDougall and others urged a middle ground; McDougall’s version carried a delayed enactment and aimed to balance worker protections with predictability for employers and insurers.

Witnesses were sharply divided. Unions, workers’ advocates and the AFL-CIO argued the 50% rule would be a bar to care and that many repetitive injuries are cumulative and would go uncompensated under a high threshold. Brodie Reid (AFL-CIO) and Brad Goodwin (Virginia Trial Lawyers Association) spoke for the labor side, citing JLARC work and legislative studies recommending coverage for repetitive trauma.

Insurers and employer groups — including the Virginia Self-Insurers Association, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Manufacturers Association and trade groups representing employers — warned that the 50% causation test serves to limit speculative claims and that adopting a broad standard would increase litigation and costs. Industry witnesses pointed to Tennessee as a model but said the fiscal and legal consequences needed careful assessment.

After the evidence and public testimony, the committee approved a motion to report the Williams-Graves bill (Senate Bill 112 / 112-series consolidation) to Senate Finance. The motion to report was seconded and recorded; the roll was taken and recorded on the committee machine. The committee chair noted the issue was complex and that the bills had been the subject of summer workgroups involving labor and insurers.","Senators debated three competing approaches to repetitive-motion injuries in workers’ compensation — a 50% causation standard, a more permissive standard modeled on existing Virginia law, and an alternative compromise billed as a pilot; the committee moved to report Senator Williams Graves’ approach to finance after intense testimony.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6379124,"Senate committee backs bill to require shade, rest and water protections for high-heat industries",1165,988000,2153000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6&start=988&end=2153","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6/thumbnail_988000.jpg","/articles/6379124/Virginia/Senate-committee-backs-bill-to-require-shade-rest-and-water-protections-for-high-heat-industries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6379124-a5ccc8e493d8662a27cf76a32c1263f9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032104&Signature=MhCaD-RABPSDbo-aJYZo5mCVisFHGUgMJXkqgQL68efFWeA6-wPKX2ZLz60vJKO39gEODYnV6RGgxUYFbX7wJodwUed8rE7H0unlvE87c6GqXysCsIIWwR~Np60i8QeGt1V0SC31ZOFRV3pM-t7vBFDbButn2j6QB0e6oPdAnGZ9ETfA4i6UMbU6nqNzy-PQn-JgpoP4zkGdIbC-6FvvdrAn5KQB5xY2TBSLuPIZ27R9CaZcunbMFzbQ2MFfsdgERd6PYVl06PqWvPEnBlA7P12XuUYnt~ZZIFh1fs5Zk855Ugd64~2DEbFPpzUUNcZR~r6ZNCsGrEOnvEXcEh0fRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators on the committee voted 9–6 to report SB 1103, the “shade, rest and water” bill, after a lengthy hearing that included labor and faith-based advocates urging protections for workers in heat-exposed industries and agribusiness and construction representatives warning against a patchwork of state rules before federal OSHA finishes its rulemaking.

Senator Hashmi, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure directs the Safety and Health Codes Board to develop a list of high-hazard industries related to heat illness, adopt regulations to prevent heat illness and create an advisory panel to assist in drafting those rules. The bill includes a provision requiring the board to reassess the list every five years.

Worker-advocacy witnesses described cases of extreme heat outreach and deaths they linked to heat illness and urged passage. Manuel Gago of the Legal Justice Center and Ramon Sepella Ramos of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy urged the committee to adopt protections to prevent heat-related deaths among low-wage and outdoor workers.

Agribusiness and construction trade groups — including the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia Agribusiness Council, Associated General Contractors of Virginia and the Virginia Highway Contractors Association — opposed immediate state action, citing an ongoing federal OSHA rulemaking and the challenges of applying uniform break requirements to industry-specific operations such as asphalt paving. Phil Abraham of the highway contractors said some proposed break schedules are impractical for certain operations.

Senators discussed whether college athletics would be covered; sponsor Hashmi and counsel clarified the bill limits regulation to industries identified by the board and that athletics are not the immediate target. Senator Marsden moved, and the committee adopted in concept an amendment to make regulations adopted under the bill superseded by a future federal OSHA rule. The committee voted 9–6 to report the bill to Senate Finance.

Supporters said the bill would give Virginia a state-level mechanism to protect workers while federal action has been slow; opponents said a federal standard should be awaited to avoid inconsistent state rules.","SB 1103 would direct Virginia’s Safety and Health Codes Board to identify high-hazard industries and adopt heat-illness prevention regulations, including an advisory panel and periodic reassessments; the committee voted 9–6 to report the bill to finance.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6379126,"Senate panel advances bill to standardize prior-authorization windows and online transparency",474,542000,1016000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6&start=542&end=1016","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2136722-f9d865febbd317ae8ee0648c23d871b6/thumbnail_542000.jpg","/articles/6379126/Virginia/Senate-panel-advances-bill-to-standardize-prior-authorization-windows-and-online-transparency","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6379126-d9a9191c49fbce3a58e3c43b73e39381/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032104&Signature=eLjrgPbSNDTixRw97HSMtZimBS4AkSVBLK-Op6YS5QjIGu5PU8yjLXYiarvM2xMMMuF~CyAJB-4uR1IRsXN7MsUmBVZ4gtZc5vtBhcCHZX-3ODQkTMryzC4RN72Goles5bJM4ZEdwlO9v2dfAqNud1A-loJZjUyyEQw4DryWAAPeOMy1WpxeXBYrJoDQQaarDe2aHxOsq7G96czyRvcJg5WJX5naQVRawfpoz4RcYHjSdaU6fmz6hin0bRmYx2qtRdOKfjQrb~nf~E9hLvvewmRskeGAHDN0JKlZxVUCke1X6Sfg4vF3o3N4yALmFSzRVd6t1eT9Eri9NOuf7tQBhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate lawmakers voted to report SB 1215 on a substitute that sets deadlines and online transparency rules for health-insurance prior-authorization requests.

Sponsor Senator Linda Pokarski, speaking to the committee, said the substitute clarifies an expedited request and prohibits carriers from revoking prior authorization after care has been scheduled or provided, except where the authorization was obtained by fraud or the service is removed from the market. The substitute sets time frames for responses — 72 hours for expedited requests and seven calendar days for regular requests — and applies the same windows when carriers request supplemental information.

The substitute approved by the committee removes certain federal-data reporting items that did not align with federal requirements and adds an exemption for some health organizations in the prescription-drug prior-authorization section. Pokarski said the bill codifies existing federal rules in state law and aims to reduce administrative delays that can stall patient care.

Julie Dye of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association told the committee the bill reflects broad agreement between hospitals and health plans after last-minute stakeholder work. No organized opposition spoke at the committee; the vote tally on the committee machine was recorded as 15–0 in favor of reporting the substitute to the next step.

SB 1215 will go to the next referral (committee staff and docketing show it will be referred to the standing committee identified on the roll). Supporters said the changes will make it clearer for providers what codes and services need prior authorization and when a patient will receive a determination. Opponents did not appear before the committee during this hearing.

The committee hearing included brief public testimony from clinicians and plan representatives who said the bill will reduce delays and make the process less opaque for patients and clinicians.

The committee’s action does not change the federal timelines that apply to carriers; instead, it sets state-level expectations and website disclosure requirements for carriers doing business in Virginia.

SB 1215 now moves forward per the committee’s report vote; it will be scheduled for the next committee to which it is referred.","A Senate committee voted to report SB 1215, a bill to require clearer time limits and online disclosures for prior authorization requests, after sponsors and health plans reached a substitute both sides said they negotiated.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears bill to force PBMs to pass rebates to patients; bill postponed indefinitely

Committee approves tax-exemption bill for Virginia Railway Express surplus-line insurance purchases

Committee advances competing bills on repetitive-motion workers’ compensation standard; debate focuses on 50% threshold

Senate committee backs bill to require shade, rest and water protections for high-heat industries

Senate panel advances bill to standardize prior-authorization windows and online transparency