Terms & Conditions

We understand how important it is to keep your personal information private and secure. We take your privacy very seriously. The Health Plan wants you to know what we do with any information about you that we collect from our website.
The Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc. is engaged to administer this website. References throughout this online privacy policy to "we," "us," or "our" refer to The Health Plan as the site owner. Users of our websites (meaning any individual, including site visitors as well as those individuals who provide personal information via this website, herein referred to as "User,” “Users,” “you,” or “your”) should be aware that certain information available and/or submitted is secure and maintained in confidence, consistent with applicable state and federal laws.  However, other information available and/or submitted is public, and therefore not secure.  You should exercise appropriate caution in deciding what information to submit depending on the setting.  Please read through the entirety of this Terms & Conditions, which describes our online privacy policy.
 

Casual Visitors to this Website

How you use our website will determine whether or not we need to collect information from you and how much information we collect. For many features, we do not ask questions about you or require any information about who you are. For some of our features, we need to either verify your identity through a login process or collect sufficient information from you to provide the service of that feature.

When you visit any The Health Plan website, we may collect certain technical information from you, such as what areas you visit and what services you access.  Additionally, there is information about your computer hardware and software that we may collect. This information may include, without limitation, your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses.  Some of this information is collected through the use of cookies (described below in cookie drop down).

Visitors Who Submit Electronic Forms on this Website

If you fill out any online form on our website to request services or to send us comments, you are voluntarily providing your information to us electronically through an email system.  If you submit personally identifiable information, it will be kept confidential and will not be shared, given, or sold to any third parties unless those third parties are business partners of The Health Plan, whose services are required to provide services to you. Further, personally identifiable information provided to us online will be used to respond to any request for services and will be stored on secure computer systems that have technical and physical safeguards in place to protect your information.
By providing us with your email address in an online form, you are indicating that you wish to be contacted by us by return email. If you do not wish to be contacted by email, please indicate you would prefer a phone call or postal mail.
 

Email

Users may send us secure email messages through a The Health Plan website form about our website or our products or services. The website administrator does not disclose secure messages to any non-affiliated third parties. However, email is not a completely secure and confidential means of communication, even when submitted through our website.  Non-encrypted email may be accessed and viewed by other internet users without your knowledge and permission while in transit to us.  
The information provided through the use of these secure messages and/or feedback forms will be used by our representatives or other appropriate third parties who need to view this information to respond to your message and/or inquiry.
Members have the ability to discuss medical issues online with health coaches. Messages sent by or to members who choose to use these online services will be recorded in transaction logs, which may be reviewed to monitor the overall effectiveness of the services and the responsiveness of the physicians and health coaches.
Users also may send emails and access products and services from non-The Health Plan service providers through links on The Health Plan web pages. However, Users should review the privacy policies contained on these websites for information regarding how each service provider uses the information.
 

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file stored on your computer by a webserver. We use cookies to deliver faster and more accurate results and a more personalized site experience. We also use cookies to track click streams, for load balancing, and/or for analytic purposes.
Cookies can contain a variety of information, including the name of the website that issued them, where on the site the User visited, passwords, and even Usernames and credit card numbers that have been supplied via forms. Note that most web browsers can be modified by the User to prevent cookies from being attached to the User.
Our website, and certain linked sites, use cookies to facilitate easier navigation within the sites and to provide a higher level of convenience for Users, as well as for internal reporting and statistical purposes. The use of cookies by any linked site is subject to that website’s own privacy policies and in some circumstances, subject to our contractual obligations with the sponsor of such site.
 

Disclaimer

This privacy statement does not apply to third-party external links from this website because those sites are out of The Health Plan's control.
The Health Plan continually updates the information provided on our website in order to keep the information as current and accurate as possible; however, it is possible that the website may contain inaccuracies, errors, or unauthorized modifications by third parties. We do not make any express or implied warranties as to the accuracy of any information on our website. Information contained on our websites may be changed or updated without notice.
Any links to other non-The Health Plan websites are solely for your convenience in obtaining related information. Such inclusion or mention does not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement by The Health Plan. We do not control the contents of these websites, and we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information on such websites.
The information presented on our website is not intended to constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation in connection with any service. If you are interested in any of our services, please contact us for a complete description of the product and its availability.
 

Social Media Policy

Comments to The Health Plan-sponsored sites, including our accounts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, are welcome and encouraged, and we look forward to hearing from you. To promote respectful discussion, we request that you strive for comments that are courteous and productive and that you avoid comments that are profane, obscene, offensive, sexually explicit, inappropriate, untruthful, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable. You should not submit member information about yourself or others on The Health Plan-sponsored sites. Social media sites often foster debate of an issue; Users are encouraged to engage in such exchanges with mutual respect for others’ opinions. 
For the privacy of Users and their families, please be advised that all postings to The Health Plan-sponsored sites will be publicly available on the internet and therefore publicly accessible without limitation or protection of any kind. Please consider how much personal information to share, especially understanding that this information may be linked to your name and published on the internet.
By posting a comment or other material to The Health Plan-sponsored sites as outlined above, Users give The Health Plan the irrevocable right and license to exercise all copyright, publicity, and moral rights with respect to any content you provide, which includes using your submission for any purpose in any form and on any media, including but not limited to displaying, modifying, reproducing, distributing, creating other works from, and/or publishing your submission. The Health Plan reserves the right to review all comments before they are posted, and to edit them to promote readability for other Users.
The Health Plan further reserves the right to reject or remove comments for any reason including, but not limited to, our belief that the comments violate this social media public policy, fail to meet The Health Plan’s qualifications for posting, and/or violate these terms and conditions. Any submissions that fail to follow these terms and conditions in any way or are otherwise irrelevant will not be posted. Due to the sheer volume, The Health Plan will not respond to every posting, especially those that address individual medical, claims, or benefits issues.  The Health Plan strongly encourages any individual with a medical, claim, or benefit issue to contact The Health Plan directly by phone, mail, or email, so that we may assist you.  
We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions when in our best judgment, such revisions are appropriate, such as to address issues that may arise and/or changes in our operations or the law. In posting material on The Health Plan-sponsored sites, you agree NOT to:

•    Post material that The Health Plan determines is threatening, harassing, illegal, obscene, defamatory, slanderous, or hostile towards any individual or entity.

•    Post contact information such as phone numbers, mailing address, or email addresses, of yourself or any other individual or entity in the body of your comment -- you cannot assume the good intentions of everyone who reads them.

•    Post material that infringes on the rights of The Health Plan or any individual or entity, including personal information, member information, intellectual property and/or publication rights.

•    Post material that promotes or advertises a commercial product or solicits business for, membership in, and/or financial or other support of any business, group, or organization except those that are officially sponsored by The Health Plan.

•    Post chain letters, post the same comment multiple times, or otherwise distribute "spam". 

•    Allow any other individual or entity to use your identification for posting or viewing comments.

•    Post comments under multiple names or using another person’s or entity’s name.

•    Post health or medical information about you or someone else.

The Health Plan reserves the right to do any or all of the following:

•    Ban future posts from people who repeatedly violate our terms and conditions. We may effect such bans by refusing posts from specific email addresses or IP addresses, or through other means as necessary.

•    Remove or edit comments at any time, whether or not they violate these terms and conditions.

User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless The Health Plan, its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, successors and assigns against any damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties, causes of action, costs, and/or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising from and/or out of any claim relating to any material that User has posted or caused or allowed to be posted on The Health Plan-sponsored sites.
 

Medical, Claim, or Benefits Information Disclaimer

Any sites sponsored by The Health Plan, including its accounts on social media websites, are not a forum for the exchange of medical, claims, or benefits information, advice, or the promotion of self-destructive behavior. While Users may freely discuss any appropriate topics, do not look to any such sites for personalized information and/or advice. Instead, it is recommended that Users talk to their physician, health care provider, and/or contact customer service.
The information on The Health Plan-sponsored sites is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition, nor to offer information about claims or benefits covered by The Health Plan. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this privacy policy, The Health Plan disclaims any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on The Health Plan-sponsored sites.
The particular service or treatment listed on The Health Plan's website is not a guarantee that it is covered under your benefit plan. Your benefits coverage may or may not cover all items and/or services described. For more information on your benefits coverage, please refer to the documents applicable to your benefits coverage – for instance, your certificate of coverage or your Summary Plan Description. For more complete information regarding benefits, limitations, and/or exclusions, call The Health Plan's Customer Service Department, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at 1.888.847.7902.
The Health Plan has established policies and procedures to protect the privacy of our members' information from unauthorized or improper use. This includes information discussed verbally. For example, we have policies requiring us to verify your identity before we discuss your information over the phone. For more information about how we protect the privacy of your information, please refer to your benefit materials. Click here to access a copy of our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
 

Access to Information Collected Online

Employees - Certain employees may be provided with information regarding Users in order to respond to an individual's needs and/or provide requested information regarding specific products or services. Certain employees will also be provided with information regarding Users in order to administer their or their group's benefit programs and to monitor the effectiveness of the online services. Our employees are required, by written confidentiality statements, corporate policies, and state and federal laws and regulations to maintain the confidentiality of protected personal information and to use strict standards of care in handling such information. Employees who do not conform to these confidentiality requirements are subject to disciplinary sanctions that include dismissal.

The Health Plan Subsidiaries, Affiliates, Business Associates and/or Service Providers - We may disclose Users' personal information collected through our web sites as permitted by law to subsidiaries and/or affiliates including, but not limited to, health care providers and other service providers that assist us in meeting the needs of our customers. Information collected by subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or service providers may also be shared with us as permitted by law. All such information will be disclosed to respond to the individual's needs and to provide information about products or services offered by or through The Health Plan, our subsidiaries and/or affiliates, and other service providers. Such personal information is treated with the same standards of confidentiality that we apply to other confidential information. Our subsidiaries and affiliates are subject to our corporate policies regarding privacy and confidentiality and our service providers and/or Business Associates are legally bound by contract to employ at least the same strict standards of confidentiality as we employ.

Third Parties - Other than as set forth above, the website administrator does not transmit any personal information collected through our websites to any third party without the permission of the individual. Personal information may be transmitted, however, if there is a specific need to complete a transaction requested by the individual. The Health Plan’s administrators have access to online enrollment applications, but not to other personal information we collect online.

Online Communication Services - We have access to messages sent by or to members who choose to use any online communications services. We will not release the content of specific messages to any third party without the member's authorization, unless permissible or required under applicable state or federal law.

Compliance Assurance

Security - The website administrator uses commercially reasonable computer security technology selected and implemented to provide adherence to the security and privacy policies described in this online posting. Although reasonable efforts have been made to protect your information from unauthorized use or alteration, you should be aware there is always some risk in sending information over the internet.

Account Access - Consistent with the requirements set forth under certain state and federal laws, we grant access to personal information only to those employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or third parties as required to provide healthcare products and services, or as you permit or request. All such employees, subsidiaries, affiliates and third parties are subject to privacy policies at least as restrictive as the policy described in this online document.

Internal Compliance Program - The Health Plan maintains an internal privacy compliance program to promote compliance with this privacy policy. This program includes oversight by a Privacy Officer whose function is to create, maintain, and enforce privacy procedures, including this policy. We also have a Chief Information Security Officer who oversees our information security systems and procedures. Our compliance program includes ongoing employee training and complaint resolution processes. We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy at any time.

Questions and Concerns - If you have questions about this online privacy policy or concerns regarding your personal information, please contact us.  You may send us your question by clicking Contact Us from any of our web pages, or you may contact us by calling 1-800-624-6961 (TTY/TDD 711) or by sending a letter to us at The Health Plan of West Virginia, 1110 Main Street, Wheeling, WV 26003.