Virginia protects patients from surprise medical bills when they get care from an out-of-network doctor at an in-network facility during emergencies and some non-emergencies. The law creates a process between health care providers and health insurers to resolve the billing issue, removing patients from the dispute.

A federal regulation requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to disclose cost-sharing information to members and to post files online containing all negotiated payment rates.

Hospitals are required to post price information about medical items and services online for the public to see and even comparison shop if they choose. To make things easy, VHHA has created a listing of links to this price information for hospitals across Virginia.

Virginians can ask for a good faith price estimate from a hospital at least three days in advance of a scheduled test or procedure.

Hospitals are required to post information about charity care policies, advise uninsured patients about financial assistance policies and payment plan options, report annually on the amount of charity care and financial assistance provided, and limits are placed on hospitals’ ability to aggressively collect medical debts.