Subcommittee advances bill to require insurance coverage for stuttering therapy

Delegate Cole introduced HB 1633, a bill that would require health insurance carriers in Virginia to provide habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy coverage specifically for the treatment of stuttering. The bill would remove annual benefit limits and visit caps, prohibit utilization review requirements such as prior authorization and medical-necessity determinations for those services, and apply to plans issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2026.