GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 573, which provides that the statute of limitations for an action on any contract, written or unwritten, for health care services, including actions brought by the Commonwealth, is three years.

Additionally, the legislation establishes that the accrual date for actions on such a contract is 30 days after the later of (i) issuance of the initial invoice or the due date stated in such invoice to the patient or person legally responsible for payment or (ii) if the patient voluntarily enters into a payment plan with the provider, 30 days after the default date contained in such payment plan.

Medical debt significantly impacts many individuals in our Commonwealth, and I am committed to reducing this burden on Virginians. Unfortunately, this legislation would create unintended consequences and have significant implications on financial regulations in the Commonwealth by inadvertently capturing other forms of debt other than medical debt.

I commend the Patron on prioritizing this important issue and look forward to working on this to find solutions to ensure that defined statutes of limitations can clearly resolve medical debt owed directly to health care providers.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.