House 4627

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4627

By Delegates G. Howell, Pritt, Masters, Zatezalo, Hornby, Hillenbrand, Rohrbach, Flanigan, Fehrenbacher, Heckert, and Campbell

[Introduced January 21, 2026; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources then Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §5-16-13a, relating to firefighter health coverage; providing definitions; providing preventative cancer screening in accordance with certain guidelines; prohibiting  copayment, coinsurance, or deductible requirement on certain coverage of preventive cancer screenings; and requiring counties and municipalities that offer self–insured employee health benefit plans to comply with a certain provisions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 16. WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES INSURANCE ACT.

§5-16-13a. Payment of costs by employer and employee for firefighters.

(a) "Professional firefighter" means an individual employed as a firefighter by a state, county, or municipal entity during the time of the individual’s employment.

(b) This section applies to:

 (1) Insurers and nonprofit health service plans that provide hospital, medical, or surgical benefits to individuals or groups on an expense–incurred basis under health insurance policies or contracts that are issued or delivered in the state; and

 (2) Health maintenance organizations that provide hospital, medical, or surgical benefits to individuals or groups under contracts that are issued or delivered in the state.

 (c) An entity subject to this section shall provide coverage to a professional firefighter for preventive cancer screenings in accordance with the latest screening guidelines issued by the international association of fire fighters.

 (d) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, an entity subject to this section may not impose a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible requirement on coverage of preventive cancer screenings for professional firefighters as required under subsection (c) of this section.

(2) If an insured or an enrollee is covered under a high–deductible health plan, as defined in 26 U.S.C.§ 223, an entity subject to this section may subject preventive cancer screenings for professional firefighters to the deductible requirement of the high–deductible health plan.

(e) This section may not be construed to prohibit an entity subject to this section from providing coverages that are greater than or more favorable to an insured or an enrollee than the coverage required under this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide free preventative cancer screening for professional firefighters.  

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.