As the ongoing pandemic makes clearer than ever the need for affordable health care coverage not tied to employment, our new policy brief explores how a Medicaid buy-in program could extend coverage to thousands of West Virginians. From the brief: "A Medicaid buy-in is a state-initiated health insurance coverage product that allows people above current…
Budget Beat
According the latest jobs report from WorkforceWV, West Virginia's jobs recovery - which had already been showing signs of weakness in recent months - took another step backward in September, as total non-farm employment fell by 3,000 jobs. Most of September's jobs losses occurred in the public sector, with the state losing 3,200 government jobs, including 300…
We are excited to announce that the brilliant Kelly Allen has been selected as the Center's executive director. Allen joined the WVCBP in 2018 as policy outreach coordinator. She became director of policy engagement in 2019 and was named deputy director in January 2020. Prior to her time with the Center, she spent nearly four…
West Virginia has recovered roughly two-thirds of the 93,900 jobs it lost in March and April as the economy was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As previous posts have shown, most of those gains occurred in May and June, with job growth slowing significantly in July and August. But as the jobs recovery as a whole has slowed…
West Virginia saw another month of relatively slow job growth as the state and the nation continue to struggle with COVID-19's economic impact. According to Workforce WV, total nonfarm employment increased by 5,500 jobs in August, including 2,200 private sector jobs. While the economy is still adding jobs, the pace of the recovery has slowed significantly in the…
With this week's data release showing health coverage progress in West Virginia stalled even prior to the COVID-19 crisis, our new policy brief details how our state can utilize a Children's Health Insurance Program buy-in to cover all kids. "Much progress has been made in recent years to achieve the goal of universal health care…
Yesterday a Republican-proposed COVID relief package failed to pass the U.S. Senate. While West Virginia's communities desperately need additional relief, the provisions included in this legislation were far too meager to meet the immediate and ongoing needs of our state and people. WVCBP interim executive director stated in a press release yesterday: "Today's COVID proposal,…
More than five months after the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19, legitimate concern is growing that the burden placed on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to comply with the excessive paperwork needed to maintain their food assistance benefits could be heightening food insecurity in West Virginia. Last spring, West Virginia applied…
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 for thousands of West Virginians: the…
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…