# Virginia HB826: Health Insurance Reform Commission; powers and duties.

Virginia HB826, Health Insurance Reform Commission; powers and duties., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0675)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB826-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB826
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Health Insurance Reform Commission; powers and duties.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0675)
- Sponsor: Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 7 (216 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

Health Insurance Reform Commission; powers and duties. Provides that it is a power and duty of the Health Insurance Reform Commission, upon request of the Chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce or Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, to assess proposed legislation affecting the cost of health insurance through changes to plan design or cost sharing impacting consumers, employers, unions, and employee welfare benefit plans.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Guidance on required benefits in health plans: benefit, low. The Commission gets regular reports from the Bureau of Insurance. It recommends which services count as essential health benefits in Virginia plans. It can suggest benefits beyond what federal law requires. These recommendations guide what insurers must cover.
- Strategy to expand coverage and lower costs: benefit, low. The Commission works on a state health reform strategy. It can propose innovative solutions beyond the federal law to build a better health system. It develops recommendations to expand access to coverage, keep costs reasonable for people and businesses, and support a strong insurance market. Lawma…
- Virginia tracks Affordable Care Act changes: benefit, low. The Health Insurance Reform Commission monitors how agencies carry out the Affordable Care Act. It receives required reports. Using that information, it assesses effects on Virginia residents, businesses, and the state budget. Its findings inform state decisions on health coverage and costs.
- Reviews of plan mandates and costs: mixed, low. When the House or Senate commerce chair asks, the Commission reviews proposed mandated benefits and provider rules. It recommends whether a mandate should apply in exchange plans, outside the exchange, neither, or both. When asked, it also reviews bills that change plan design or cost sharing and a…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-02 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 97 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce | pass | 20 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 8 | 0 |   |

## Actions (26)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0675) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 675 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-12: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB826ER) (House)
- 2026-03-12: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-12: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB826) (House)
- 2026-03-12: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-05: Passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Reported from Commerce and Labor (13-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-15: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-12: Reported from Labor and Commerce (20-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-10: Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-22: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB826) (House)
- 2026-01-22: Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1 (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102376D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221672.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221671.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1201433.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1201432.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086062.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086061.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221672.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221671.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1201433.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1201432.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086062.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086061.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB826-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).