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

HB 2173 requires West Virginia hospitals to publicly disclose the prices for the 50 most common health care services they provide, including procedure codes, undiscounted prices, and facility fees, on their websites by January 31 each year. For nonemergency care, hospitals must provide patients with a good faith cost estimate within five business days of a request, in plain language, and including details about in-network insurance coverage. The bill does not apply to emergency services, and non-compliant hospitals face civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. This law aims to increase price transparency for patients seeking nonemergency care by standardizing how hospitals share cost information.