Last month, Congress allowed the CARES Act's $600 boost to weekly unemployment benefits to expire. It was replaced with a temporary and inadequate executive order providing funding for enhanced benefits that West Virginia has applied for but has yet to receive. And now, another unemployment provision of the CARES Act is about to run out…
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Despite the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid expansion in providing health coverage in the midst of a pandemic, proponents of the lawsuit to dismantle the ACA, including Republican state Attorneys General and the Trump administration, march on. Oral arguments are scheduled for November 10 in front of the Supreme Court of…
West Virginia's economy added only 200 jobs in July, according to the monthly jobs report from Workforce WV, after adding 35,600 in June. West Virginia's overall jobs picture has been heavily skewed the past two months due to the temporary hiring of poll workers for June's primary election. Government jobs increased by 11,200 in June,…
As state and local officials finalize plans for children to resume learning in the coming days, a major concern for families is how parents are supposed to balance changes to the traditional school format with their work obligations. Federal COVID-relief packages passed earlier this year provide a bit of help for some families, but the…
Last month Congress let emergency unemployment benefits expire, despite ongoing record levels of unemployment and a weakening economic recovery. While the U.S. House of Representatives passed a substantial relief bill in May that would have extended the enhanced unemployment benefits through the end of the year, the Senate was unable to come to an agreement.…
This post is co-authored by Bryan Phillips, the WVCBP’s Summer Research Associate West Virginia’s regional jail population has been growing for years at a cost to both county budgets and the safety of incarcerated people. Between 2010 and 2019, the average jail population increased by 30 percent. The average daily population statewide has exceeded total jail capacity for eight of…
A recent outbreak at Princeton Health Care Center, a nursing home in Mercer County, highlights once again the ongoing need for vigilant COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Both of these efforts can be funded by using some of the $1.25 billion West Virginia received as part of the CARES Act passed in March. Congregate Settings…
Yesterday, Governor Justice held a press conference to provide an update on the state's fiscal situation at the start of the 2021 fiscal year (FY) and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the governor, West Virginia is starting FY 2021 with a $243.9 million surplus, and ended FY 2020 with a $23…
July 30 marks the 55th anniversary of Medicaid. Medicaid is a powerhouse state-federal partnership, providing health coverage to over 560,000 West Virginians, bringing over $3 billion in federal health care funding into our state each year, and supporting hospitals and health care jobs all over the state. While always essential, Medicaid is especially effective during…
This post is co-authored by Bryan Phillips, the WVCBP's Summer Research Associate As the Huttonsville Correctional Center outbreak and numerous outbreaks around the country have demonstrated, jails and prisons are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission. Earlier analyses looked at the overall jail and prison population reduction in the state and the change in arrest rates in Charleston, WV in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.…