Virginia House approves bill to study Medicaid benefit for sickle cell disease

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The House of Delegates unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would evaluate the potential for adding a Medicaid benefit for people with sickle cell disease.
Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, is the chief patron of HB2757.
The bill will direct the Department of Medical Assistance Services to evaluate the likelihood of participating in an added benefit and establish Medicaid Health Homes to provide treatment and care to people with sickle cell disease.
“These initiatives aim to improve coordinated care, expand access to treatment and enhance patient outcomes,” Mundon King said to the House on Tuesday before the bill was read for the second time and engrossed.
The bill comes after the recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care which performed a study on how to expand access to treatment for sickle cell disease in Virginia. The study revealed that access to treatment and care for sickle cell disease in the Commonwealth is currently limited.
“In Virginia, the only access to specialized treatment is at comprehensive sickle cell treatment centers,” the study states. The study also reveals that treatment centers do not have adequate funding or personnel to support their patients.
The study points out that sickle cell disease primarily impacts Black individuals. According to data collected by the Virginia Department of Health, 1 in 325 African Americans are living with sickle cell disease in Virginia and 1 in 12 African Americans have the sickle cell trait.
People living with sickle cell disease must, “navigate systemic and structural barriers to care” such as, “lack of accessible, appropriate health care services” and “presence of stigma and unconscious bias,” according to the study.
Mundon King also introduced HB255 during the 2024 assembly which offered residents of Virginia screening tests for sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait. It also requires health care professionals to provide proper education, “regarding the results of any such test that is performed.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.