Disputing a Medical Bill in
West Virginia
Medical Billing Laws, Consumer Protections & Information
West Virginia
Many states give consumer protections and have other laws and regulations for patients receiving care from, or otherwise being billed by, a provider in such a state. West Virginia lacks notable state-specific consumer protections and regulations on medical billing. Here are some statistics related to medical billing and debt in West Virginia.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
8%
Only 8% of the hospitals in
West Virginia
are compliant with the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule requiring hospitals to publish their prices, according to an independent audit. If you received a bill from a non-compliant hospital, that can be a reason to dispute the bill.
MEDICAL DEBT IN
West Virginia
13.3%
13.3% of people in West Virginia report having medical debt in a given year, on average.
HOSPITAL PRICES
3 x cost
The average hospital in
West Virginia charges 3 times what it costs to render the services. That means for every $100 in cost, it bills $300, of which $200 is profit.
West Virginia does not have many state laws specifically to protect patients from surprise and other problem medical bills. However, there are federal laws, such as the No Surprises Act, that apply patients in West Virginia. There are also many other reasons to dispute a medical bill independent of state and federal laws.
Medical Billing Laws & Consumer Protections
All of U.S.
These federal laws and consumer protections apply to
all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
NO SURPRISE BILLING
The No Surprises Act protects people using insurance from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and services from out-of-network air ambulance service providers.
GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE
A medical provider must issue a Good Faith Estimate in advance of services to a patient not using insurance. The Good Faith Estimate is a disclosure of expected services to be rendered and their charges.
BALANCE BILLING - EMERGENCY
A provider may not bill an insured patient for emergency services above the in-network payment responsibilities (coinsurance, deductible, copayment) under insurance benefits.
BALANCE BILLING - AT AN IN NETWORK FACILITY
For services an insured patient receives while visiting a participating hospital or facility, a provider may not bill the patient above the in-network payment responsibilities (coinsurance, deductible, copayment) under insurance benefits.
COLLECTIONS PROTECTIONS
The three nationwide credit reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – do not include medical debts (1) below $500, or (2) less than a year old on consumer credit reports.
Dispute your problem medical bill now.
You have so much to gain by finding out if Patient Fairness can help with your problem medical bill. Complete the Problem Medical Bill Assessment and we'll tell you if we identified opportunities to question and/or dispute the medical bill. We'll even suggest some ways to dispute or reduce the medical bill if we can't help.