By Autumn Shelton, West Virginia Press Association
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The House Committee on Insurance and Banking advanced four bills on Tuesday, including one creating the Oral Health and Cancer Rights Act and one that would increase the amount of insurance funds that may be recovered by fire departments following a call-out.
But first, the committee advanced HB 5591, which would repeal three sections of state code, the “Fair and Equitable Property Valuation” statute, approved in 1990. HB 5591 is similar to SB 619.
Melanie Pagliaro, executive director of the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia was present to explain the bill.
According to Pagliaro, counties were not assessing property at 60% their value in 1990, so the original bill was created to set up a formula that would gradually increase those assessment values from one year to the next until every county was assessing properties at 60%.
“Counties are all at 60% now, and we’re seeing market growth in counties where this past year there were 17 counties that had to roll back their levy rate. So we are asking that that section be repealed,” Pagliaro stated, adding that counties cannot currently raise the assessment rate from one year to the next more than 103%.
“When you roll back your levy rate, there are some counties that are up to $800,000 that they are losing in revenue,” Pagliaro continued.
In response to a question from Del. Chris Pritt, R-Kanawha, who asked if this bill would increase revenue, Pagliaro said it has the potential to increase county revenue.
“It would come from those who have a higher assessed value on their property from one year to the next,” Pagliaro said. “The state Constitution limits the level that, per class, you can go up to. So somebody can’t go up, say 200%.”
After some discussion on whether or not the bill would affect excess levy rates, with no direct answer, the committee advanced the bill to the House Judiciary Committee.
Next, committee members discussed HB 4965, the “Oral Health and Cancer Right Act.”
According to the bill, which is similar to SB 443, health benefit plans that are offered by insurers must provide coverage for oral health cancer treatments including “surgery, chemotherapy, biotherapy, pharmacology, immunotherapy or radiation.”
Under this bill, coverage that insurance providers must offer includes “evaluations, examinations, patient education, laboratory assessments, medications, treatments, restoration, rehabilitation, medical devices, and prosthesis needed to obtain cancer treatment or restore whole or partial function associated with eating, breathing, voice, speech, and swallowing related to a cancer diagnosis.”
Should the bill pass, it would become effective on July 1, 2025. It will now be considered by the House Committee on Health and Human Resources.
The next bill discussed, HB 5340, would “prohibit insurance providers from prioritizing the use of an opioid drug over a nonopioid drug” to treat pain.
After minimal discussion, this bill is now headed to the House Committee on Health and Human Resources.
Lastly, the committee discussed HB 5541, which would require homeowners insurance providers to include a minimum of $2,000 coverage for each occurrence in which a fire department is called out to the covered property.
An amendment to the bill was made stating that insurance companies would have until Jan. 1, 2026, to make changes to their policy.
This bill is now headed to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
