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SB 946WEST VIRGINIASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill Prohibits Certain Hospital Facility Fees and Establishes Reporting

Original title: Relating to hospital facility fee oversight

Last action · February 16, 2026: To Health and Human ResourcesSponsor: Brian Helton

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

West Virginia SB 946 prohibits health care providers from charging s for outpatient evaluation, management, diagnostic, or imaging services, regardless of location. The bill requires annual reporting on facility fees to the Insurance Commission, permits audits, and establishes administrative penalties of up to $1,000 per violation.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Health care providers

Health care providers face new prohibitions on charging facility fees for outpatient services, mandatory annual reporting requirements, audit rules, and administrative penalties up to $1,000 per violation.

Directly affected

Patients

Directly affected

West Virginia Insurance Commission

The Commission is tasked with identifying restricted services annually, promulgating rules, publishing reported hospital data, and auditing health care providers.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a facility fee under this bill?
A is any fee charged or billed by a health care provider for outpatient services in a hospital-based or freestanding emergency facility that compensates the provider for operational expenses and is separate from a professional fee.
Are all facility fees banned by this legislation?
No. s are still permitted for services provided on a hospital's campus, at facilities with a licensed hospital emergency department, or for emergency services at a licensed freestanding emergency facility, provided they are not specifically barred outpatient evaluation, management, diagnostic, or imaging services.
What penalties do providers face for violating these rules?
Health care providers that violate the provisions of the act or adopted rules are subject to an administrative penalty of not more than $1,000 per occurrence.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 16, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Health and Human Resources
  2. Feb 16, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced in Senate
  3. Feb 16, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Health and Human Resources then Finance
  4. Feb 16, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Filed for introduction

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Brian HeltonSenateRepublicanPrimary sponsor

Connected Entities

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Brian Helton, West Virginia Insurance Commission
OrganizationCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services“Federal agency determining hospital campus boundaries on an individual case basi”Map →
PersonBrian Helton“Senator who introduced Senate Bill 946”Map →
OrganizationWest Virginia Insurance Commission“Commission tasked with identifying services subject to fee limitations, rulemaki”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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