Virginia committee advances and tables a mix of health bills on telehealth, foster youth and Medicaid changes

A Virginia House committee met to consider a package of health and social-services bills, advancing some measures for further consideration and tabling others for additional work.

Several bills that would affect Medicaid coverage, telehealth access and services for former foster youth were acted on during the session. Committee members reported some bills out of committee for further floor consideration, while other measures were laid on the table for later review or to allow additional fiscal analysis.

Del. Delia Clark, the patron of HB 1596, told the committee that the measure — a recommendation from the select committee on rural health care — would allow Medicaid coverage for audio-only telehealth services and estimated a fiscal impact to the general fund of about $1.2 million in fiscal year 2026, increasing about 5% each year. "Audio only telehealth services is a critical step towards addressing inequalities in health care access," Clark said, and cited an NIH study describing groups who would disproportionately lose access without audio-only options. The committee voted to lay HB 1596 on the table; the motion to table passed on a recorded vote of 6–0 (tabled).

HB 1964, introduced as the Future in Focus program to…