West Virginia House Bill HB2173

West Virginia 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/14/25

Caption

Relating to requiring a hospital to disclose price and fee information for certain health care services

Summary

House Bill 2173 would require West Virginia hospitals to publish annual price transparency information for commonly performed services. Each hospital would have to compile and post on its website a list of the 50 most commonly performed health care services from each of the six CPT Category I sections, using plain-language descriptions and including the procedure code, undiscounted price, and any facility fees. If a hospital performs fewer than 50 services in a category, it must list all services performed in that category. The bill also requires hospitals to provide patients, upon request, with a good-faith estimate of reasonably anticipated charges for nonemergency care within five business days. That estimate must be available orally, in writing, or electronically, and must include plain-language descriptions, procedure codes, facility fees, and information about whether other providers may separately bill the patient. Hospitals must also disclose in-network or out-of-network status and identify insurers with which they contract as preferred providers. The bill expressly excludes emergency department care from the estimate requirement and shields hospitals from liability if the estimate differs from the final bill.

Impact

HB2173 would add a new section to West Virginia Code §16-5B, creating a statewide hospital price-disclosure and estimate requirement enforced by the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification. It would affect hospitals by imposing annual website posting duties, patient-request estimate obligations, and disclosure standards for fees, network status, and possible third-party charges. Hospitals that fail to comply could face civil monetary penalties of up to $1,000 per violation, while hospitals that provide estimates would not be liable merely because the estimate differs from the final amount charged.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded floor debate, so there is no documented opposition or support from legislative discussion in the materials provided. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears aimed at consumer transparency and predictability in medical billing, which typically draws support from patients and transparency advocates. Because no votes or testimony are included, the overall sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s apparent policy purpose.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are administrative burden, billing accuracy, and the scope of required disclosures. Hospitals may object to the cost and complexity of compiling annual service lists, producing plain-language descriptions, and generating timely estimates for nonemergency care. Another possible issue is the requirement to identify other persons who may bill the patient and to disclose in-network or out-of-network status, which could be difficult in some care settings. The bill also limits the estimate requirement by excluding emergency departments and allowing estimates to be partial or presented as ranges, which may reflect an attempt to balance transparency with operational flexibility.