HB829 • 2026

Hospital price transparency; price comparison tool, penalties for noncompliance.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 32.1-137.05 of the Code of Virginia, relating to hospital price transparency; price comparison tool; penalties for noncompliance.</p>

Healthcare

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Helmer
Last action: 2026-02-18
Official status: Failed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify the exact penalties for noncompliance or how quickly hospitals must update their pricing information.

Hospital Price Transparency and Comparison Tool

This bill requires hospitals to provide price information on their websites in a machine-readable format and directs the Department of Health to create a comparison tool based on this data.

What This Bill Does

Requires hospitals to make available on their websites, in a machine-readable format, a list of all standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital.
Directs the Department of Health to create and maintain a price transparency comparison tool using information from hospitals' websites and the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database.
Specifies that if there's a dispute over payment, the hospital must use its published prices to determine what the patient should pay.
Requires hospitals to discharge debt for elective procedures or services when they cannot provide standard pricing information on their website.

Who It Names or Affects

Hospitals in Virginia
Patients seeking elective procedures or tests

Terms To Know

Standard charge: The fixed price a hospital sets for its services before any discounts or insurance payments.
Machine-readable file: A format of data that computers can easily read and process, like CSV or JSON files.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact penalties for hospitals that do not comply with these requirements.
It is unclear how quickly hospitals must update their pricing information on their websites after changes are made.

Bill History

2026-02-18 House
Left in Committee Health and Human Services
2026-02-02 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB829)
2026-01-23 Health
Assigned sub: Health
2026-01-13 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104893D
2026-01-13 Health and Human Services
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

Official Summary Text

Hospital price transparency; price comparison tool; penalties for noncompliance.
Directs the Department of Health to establish a hospital price transparency comparison tool based on the information hospitals provide under existing law and the information available through the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database. The bill specifies that the list of standard charges provided by the hospital controls in the event of a dispute between a hospital and a patient over a patient payment amount and requires hospitals to discharge debt and not require payment for any elective procedure, test, or service for which the patient payment amount is disputed and there is not a standard charge made available to the public on the hospital's website on the date such elective procedure, test, or service is performed.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

A BILL to amend and reenact §
32.1-137.05
of the Code of Virginia, relating to hospital price transparency; price comparison tool; penalties for noncompliance.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
32.1-137.05
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
32.1-137.05
. Information regarding standard charges; advance estimate of patient payment amount for elective procedure, test, or service
; price transparency
.

A. Every hospital shall make available to the public on its website a machine-readable file containing a list of all standard charges for all items and services provided by the hospital in accordance with 45 C.F.R. § 180.50, as amended. As used in this subsection, "hospital," "items and services," "machine-readable," and "standard charge" have the same meaning as set forth in 45 C.F.R. § 180.20.

B. Every hospital shall, upon request of a patient scheduled to receive an elective procedure, test, or service to be performed by the hospital, or upon request of such patient's legally authorized representative, made no less than three days in advance of the date on which such elective procedure, test, or service is scheduled to be performed, furnish the patient with an estimate of the payment amount for which the participant will be responsible for such elective procedure, test, or service. Every hospital shall provide written information about the patient's ability to request an estimate of the payment amount pursuant to this section. Such written information shall be posted conspicuously in public areas of the hospital, including admissions or registration areas, and included on any website maintained by the hospital.

C. The Department shall
create and maintain
or shall contract with a nonprofit organization as define
d in §
32.1-276.3
to create and maintain
a hospital price transparency comparison tool based on the information provided by hospitals
pursuant to subsection A
and the information available through the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database established pursuant to §
32.1-276.7:1
. Such tool shall be accessible through the Department's website
and shall allow users to search
for
and filter results by
hospital and
procedure.

D.
Whenever a dispute arises between a hospital and a patient over a patient payment amount, the list of all standard charges for all items and services required by subsection A shall be used to determine the correct payment amount and reasonableness o
f the payment.

E. Whenever a dispute arises between a hospital and a patient over a patient payment amount for an elective procedure
, test, or service
and the hospital is unable to provide a standard charge
for such elective procedure, test, or service that has been

made available to the public on its website
pursuant to
the re
quirements of subsection A
as of the date such elective procedure, test, or service was performed
, such hospital shall discharge any debt associated with such elective procedure, test, or service
and shall not require payment from the patient for such elective procedure, test, or s
ervice.