Virginia MGMA State Chapter Legislative Update
Prepared By: Justin Truitt, Virginia MGMA State Chapter Legislative Liaison
Date: 1/27/2025
1. 2024 Legislative Updates
● New Legislation: New legislation enacted in 2024
○ 2024 VA H 1279: An Act to require the Department of Education and the
Department of Health to streamline the school health entrance form.
■ The Department of Health, in conjunction with the Department of
Education, shall examine the Department of Health's COMMONWEALTH
OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL HEALTH ENTRANCE FORM: Health Information
Form/Comprehensive Physical Examination Report/Certification of
Immunization and make such changes as they deem necessary to
streamline such form, make it available in both digital and print formats,
and make it more user-friendly for families, physicians, and other health
care professionals while continuing to gather all of the information that is
necessary to comply with relevant state laws relating to student health
and immunization and school attendance. Approved: 4/4/2024
● Regulatory Changes: Updates to existing regulations or new compliance requirements.
○ 2024 VA S 543: An Act to amend and reenact Sections 38.2-3412.1, 38.2-3438,
and 38.2-3445 of the Code of Virginia, relating to health insurance; emergency
services; mobile crisis response services.
■ Defined “crisis receiving center”
■ Updated definition for “mobile crisis response services”
■ Updated definition for “residential crisis stabilization unit”
■ Defined “behavioral health crisis service provider”
■ Updated definition of “emergency services”
2. 2025 Legislative Updates
New laws or regulations that officially went into effect on January 1, 2025:
● HB 238 Health Insurance Coverage; coverage for colorectal cancer screening
○ Requires health insurers to provide coverage for examinations and laboratory
tests related to colorectal cancer screening in accordance with the most recently
published recommendations established by the U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force for colorectal cancer screening for which a rating of A or B is in effect with
respect to the individual involved. The bill requires such coverage to include
coverage of a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive stool-based
screening test or direct visualization screening test. The bill prohibits such
coverage from being subject to any deductible, coinsurance, or any other cost-
sharing requirements for services received from participating providers. The
provisions of the bill apply to individual or group accident and sickness insurance
policies, individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts, or
health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the
Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2025.
● HB 93 Alpha-gal syndrome reportable disease list
○ Directs the Board of Health to adopt regulations to include alpha-gal syndrome
on the list of diseases that shall be required to be reported in accordance with the
Code of Virginia. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.
3. What to Watch for in 2025
● New or Pending Legislation: Bills under consideration or policies expected to roll out
later in 2025.
○ 2024 VA H 2189
■ A bill to amend and reenact § 32.1-48 of the Code of Virginia, relating to
immunizations; authority of the Commissioner of Health; religious
exception.
■ Introduced: 1/7/2025
■ Status: Pending, Health House and Human Services Committee
○ 2025 HB1725: Medical Debt Protection Act; created, prohibited practices;
penalties
■ Creates the Medical Debt Protection Act to prohibit a large health care
facility or medical debt buyer, as those terms are defined in the bill, from
charging interest or late fees on medical debt. The bill requires a large
health facility or medical debt buyer to offer a payment plan to any patient
with medical debt and sets required time frames for certain extraordinary
collection actions, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that a violation of
its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia
Consumer Protection Act.
■ Introduced: 1/4/2025
■ Status: Passed House
○ 2025 HB1596: DMAS state plan for medical assistance services; telemedicine
services.
■ Changes the definition of "telemedicine services" as it is used in the state
plan for medical assistance services to include two-way, real-time, audio-
only communication technology for any telehealth service furnished to a
patient in his home.
■ Introduced: 1/3/2025
■ Status: In committee
○ 2025 SB892: Medical malpractice; certification of expert witness, written opinion.
■ Provides that at the time of service of process of every motion for
judgment, counter claim, third party claim, or warrant in debt in a medical
malpractice action or every motion for judgment, counter claim, or third
party claim in an action for wrongful death against a health care provider,
the plaintiff shall be deemed to have obtained a written opinion signed by
an expert witness stating that the defendant in the action deviated from
the applicable standard of care and the deviation was a proximate cause
of the injuries claimed. The bill also provides that a plaintiff may have
separate certifications for standard of care and causation.
■ Introduced: 1/4/2025
■ Status: Passed Senate
○ 2025 SB904: Medical malpractice; limitation on recovery; certain actions
■ Eliminates the cap on the recovery in actions against health care
providers for medical malpractice where the act or acts of malpractice
occurred on or after July 1, 2025, and occurred against a patient age 10
or younger.
■ Introduced: 1/5/2025
■ Status: Failed
● Industry Trends:
○ Prior Authorization fixes earn majority support in Congress
■ Introduction of H.R.8702 - Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act
of 2024
○ Healthcare affordability
■ VA introduced CoPN reform (HB 2119, HB 2698, SB1203)
■ Other states are looking to address gaps in surprise billing, enhancing
billing and cost transparency, limiting use of facility fees
○ Prescription drug pricing and 340B
■ In 2024 20 states introduced and 6 states passed 340B legislation
4. Resources and Next Steps
● Virginia Legislative Information System (LIS): https://lis.virginia.gov/home