AARP Virginia joins lawmakers to push for lower drug costs ahead of General Assembly session

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — AARP Virginia has unveiled its 2026 legislative agenda and at the top of the list is making medicine more affordable for Virginians.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the organization's state advocacy team joined lawmakers and advocates at the General Assembly building, to introduce the 2026 Affordable Medicine Act. The announcement comes ahead of the start of this year's General Assembly session.

The bill would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) to review drug costs and set caps on expensive medications.

"The bottom line remains the same medicine can't do its job if you can't afford it," said Delegate Karrie Delaney, who introduced the bill alongside Senator Creigh Deeds.

According to a release from AARP Virginia, the legislation aims to complement recent federal changes that allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.

"So under this new legislation, one of the first actions will be to take the 25 drug prices negotiated by Medicare under both the Biden and Trump administrations and expand them to Virginians, not on Medicare," Delaney said.

Advocates said the bill would make life-saving mediations more accessible for thousands of Virginians who've been impacted by rising prescription drug costs, like Richmond resident Tim Barry.

"I have a rare blood disorder that requires me to take Eliquis twice a day for the rest of my life, and the excessive costs and uncertainty are challenging," Barry explained. "I'm counting on legislation like this to help pave the way to make my drugs more affordable."

According to a 2025 poll by AARP VA, 84% of Virginians support the creation of a prescription drug affordability board. The bill also previously received bipartisan support and was passed by the General Assembly in 2024 and 2025, but was vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Now advocates are hopeful for a different outcome as Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger prepares to take office.

"This year feels different as we welcome a new administration and General Assembly members who ran on a promise of affordability," said Rena Hicks, Executive director of Freedom Virginia. "And I have high confidence that this is the year that Virginians will see relief, not just from high prescription drug costs, but also in their daily lives."