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Analysis shows rising health care costs in Virginia

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Analysis shows rising health care costs in Virginia


HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) -An analysis by Altarum shows rise in Health Insurance premiums but lower health care spending in Virginia.

Julian Walker, Vice President of Communications for the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association said the data from the analysis was from 2008-2022.

“Single coverage and family coverage and we are talking about insurance premiums have increased 76.6% and 79.3% respectively,” said Walker.

When you factor in the additional expense of deductibles, those numbers are actually an 89% increase, said Walker. The cost of health care spending in Virginia is below the national average.

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”When you look at health care spending in Virginia what you actually see it is that health spending is actually lower in Virginia than for the national average,” said Walker.

When insurance companies refuse to cover certain procedures or where the patient can receive care, it can interfere with a patient’s care, said Walker.

”Lets say a patient needs a specific type of advanced scan, medical imaging, and the insurance company says well we are only going to pay for medical imaging of this type. The provider says well that type of medical imagining may not help us diagnose the patients condition well that has a potentially negative impact on the patient,” said Walker.

Walker said it is important to make sure there is accurate information regarding health insurance coverage and costs to with the public, so everyone can make the best decisions for their needs.

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Teens killed on Virginia interstate identified

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Teens killed on Virginia interstate identified


PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — Virginia State Police have identified two teenagers killed in a crash on I-295 south in Prince George County.

A 2014 Toyota Camry driven by Cristofer Luna Cortes, 18, of Sandston, ran off the right side of the interstate and struck the back of a disabled tractor-trailer parked on the right emergency shoulder.

Both Cortes and his passenger, Jeimey Alexa Gonzalez-Moralez, 18, died at the scene of the Nov. 25. crash.

The 51-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer has not been cited and the crash remains under investigation.

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Police believe speed was a contributing factor in the crash.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

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Video Virginia man arrested in connection with pipe bombs planted outside DNC, RNC HQs

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Video Virginia man arrested in connection with pipe bombs planted outside DNC, RNC HQs


Virginia man arrested in connection with pipe bombs planted outside DNC, RNC HQs

After a nearly five-year investigation, federal authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with pipe bombs planted outside the DNC and RNC headquarters in Washington D.C.

December 4, 2025



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Virginia Democrats propose redrawing maps to get four new seats

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Virginia Democrats propose redrawing maps to get four new seats


Virginia Democrats are attempting to create a new congressional map in 2026 that could help them win four new seats.

Amid efforts in other states to make maps more favorable to Democrats or Republicans, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott outlined the state’s plans to do the same at a meeting of the Virginia Property Owners Alliance.

Scott said President Donald Trump was “bullying” other states to redraw their congressional maps, causing Virginia to do the same. “We didn’t want to have to do this,” he said. “This was done because Donald Trump told Texas, Indiana, North Carolina—our neighbors—to rig their elections.”

The speaker said a new map could change the balance of the state legislature from six Democrats and five Republicans to 10 Democrats and one Republican, meaning Democrats would gain four more seats.

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Newsweek contacted the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Republican Party of Virginia for comment outside normal business hours.

Why It Matters

Republicans and Democrats have been engaged in a redistricting war over the past few months, with both parties attempting to draw new state maps to affect the results of future votes.

Redistricting could have a major effect on upcoming elections—including the November 2026 midterms, which would affect the balance of power in Congress and, in turn, Trump’s ability to carry out his agenda. Republicans have a 219-213 majority in the House of Representatives, which is set to narrow further in January when Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia resigns, placing greater importance on each seat.

What To Know

Virginia’s redistricting plans were first reported in October when Democrats in the state legislature recommended an amendment that would allow it to bypass the bipartisan commission the draws Virginia’s maps.

Scott said changing the makeup of Virginia’s state delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to 10 Democrats and one Republican was “not out of the realm” with new maps.

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Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told Newsweek: “The Virginia plans are contingent on what happens in other states. If these remain mired in court action, it’s unlikely Virginia’s plans will progress. The mid-decade redistricting began as a Trump-inspired move to secure the House for the GOP, but as well as being caught up in legal challenges, every red state move is being matched by blue states. It’s less and less likely that redistricting will deliver a decisive result in 2026.”

On November 4, California voters passed Proposition 50, an amendment put forth by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in response to Texas’ redistricting efforts. The proposition would temporarily revise the state’s congressional map, a move expected to boost Democrats in future elections.

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana have also recently moved forward with plans that could allow mid-decade redistricting ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But similar efforts have faced issues in other states, including Texas, where federal judges ruled against a Republican-drawn congressional map.

The three-judge panel wrote in the ruling, “Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said he will file an appeal with the Supreme Court and ask for a stay of the order.

What People Are Saying

Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat, told WAMU’s The Politics Hour on November 7: “There’s two seats that are pretty obviously in play. And after that it’ll probably get pretty hard, but you know, anything’s possible.”

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What Happens Next

For the Virginia redistricting to go ahead, there would have to be an election on whether to adopt the amendment allowing the legislature to redraw maps.

Meanwhile, redistricting conflicts are likely to intensify as the midterms approach. Republican-led Florida is also considering redistricting plans, while New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, has said she is open to it.



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