Medical bills in West Virginia: free care, credit reports and your rights

West Virginia has no state charity-care law; nonprofit hospitals must still follow federal rules.

West Virginia has no state law that keeps medical debt off credit reports; the federal 7-year limit still applies.

Charity care means free or discounted care for people with low income. Hospitals also call it financial assistance.

Can I get my bill reduced?Is my debt too old?Can they sue me or report it?Free help

Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.

Federal rules for nonprofit hospitals apply in every state. Free help can review your bill.

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Can I get my bill reduced in West Virginia?

West Virginia has no state charity-care law. Nonprofit hospitals must follow the federal rules, and each hospital has its own policy: ask for it and for the application.

Is my debt too old in West Virginia?

Kind of agreementTime limit to sue
Written contract10 years
Open account5 years
Oral (spoken) agreement5 years

A lawsuit on a written contract signed by you (or your agent) must be filed within 10 years. A lawsuit on any other contract, express or implied, including an unsigned or oral agreement, must be filed within 5 years.

What can restart the clock

A new promise to pay restarts the time only if it is in writing and signed by you or your agent.

When the clock starts

From the date the right to sue accrued.

Law: W. Va. Code 55-2-6, 55-2-8

A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.

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Can they sue me or report it in West Virginia?

Credit reports

No state limit

West Virginia has no state law that keeps medical debt off credit reports. When a debt is too old to sue on, a collector's letters must say whether it can still be reported to credit bureaus.

Law: W. Va. Code 46A-2-128(f)

Waiting rules

West Virginia law sets no waiting period that applies only to medical bills. If a debt is past the time limit for a lawsuit, the collector must include a set notice in every letter saying it cannot sue you.

Liens on your home

If you have hospital or medical debt from a catastrophic illness or injury (insurance used up, and the illness causes financial hardship), an extra $7,500 of your home's value is protected from that debt, on top of the general $5,000 homestead exemption.

Wage garnishment

West Virginia limits wage garnishment more than federal law for all debts: no more than 20% of your wages after taxes can be taken, and you must keep at least 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage each week.

Law: W. Va. Code 38-9-3(b), 38-5A-3, 46A-2-128(f)

Surprise bills and ambulance bills in West Virginia

State law

Ground ambulance surprise billing law

Law: SB 645, 2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 57; SB 645 (2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 57)

Which plans it covers

Individual and group health insurance, hospital and health service corporations, health care corporations and HMOs regulated by West Virginia, for policies issued on or after January 1, 2027.

What it adds

The state law adds protection for ground ambulance rides. Other surprise-bill protections come from federal law.

Ground ambulance

The state protects you

For state-regulated health insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, an out-of-network ground emergency medical services agency is paid directly by your insurer at 200% of the Medicare rate or its billed charges, whichever is less, and that payment is payment in full.

Law: W. Va. Code 33-15-24, 33-24-46, 33-25-23, 33-25A-37 and the group-policy section added by SB 645 (2026)

Law: SB 645 (2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 57)

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Health coverage and Medicaid in West Virginia

West Virginia Medicaid is West Virginia's Medicaid program. Apply for it here:

Apply: West Virginia Medicaid · 1-877-716-1212

Where to complain in West Virginia

Free help in West Virginia

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Good to know in West Virginia

  • Starting with policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, insurers must pay out-of-network ground ambulance agencies directly, and you owe only in-network cost sharing.

    Law: SB 645, 2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 57

  • West Virginia gives 10 years to sue on a signed written contract, one of the longest periods in the country.

    Law: W. Va. Code 55-2-6

Changes in 2024–2026

SB 645, approved April 1, 2026 and effective June 11, 2026, protects people with state-regulated insurance from out-of-network ground ambulance balance bills for policies issued on or after January 1, 2027.

Law: 2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 57

Questions about medical bills in West Virginia

How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in West Virginia?

A lawsuit on a written contract signed by you (or your agent) must be filed within 10 years. A lawsuit on any other contract, express or implied, including an unsigned or oral agreement, must be filed within 5 years.

Can a medical debt lead to wage garnishment or a lien on my home in West Virginia?

West Virginia limits wage garnishment more than federal law for all debts: no more than 20% of your wages after taxes can be taken, and you must keep at least 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage each week.

Am I protected from ground ambulance bills in West Virginia?

For state-regulated health insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, an out-of-network ground emergency medical services agency is paid directly by your insurer at 200% of the Medicare rate or its billed charges, whichever is less, and that payment is payment in full. You pay only your copay, coinsurance or deductible, which may not be more than you would pay in network.

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