When the COVID-19 pandemic began, West Virginia law enforcement and corrections officials moved quickly to reduce jail and prison populations. And while the prison population has remained lower than normal, since April, the jail population has steadily increased and was more than 35 percent overcapacity as of November 12. Among the reasons for the burgeoning…
Budget Beat
Amid a tumultuous year when national attention once again focused on the issue of racial inequality, our 13th annual State of Working West Virginia report provides robust data analysis highlighting the racial inequity that persists in West Virginia, as well as thoughtful policy solutions from local community leaders. While the findings provided in this report…
The open enrollment period to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) started on November 1 and continues through December 15. This period allows individuals without existing health coverage to enroll in a private insurance plan or Medicaid – all in one place. As the nation continues to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic,…
It's almost Halloween, a spooky time of year with ghosts, witches, zombies, and unemployment claims data. If you love being scared, check out these bone-chilling charts featuring some ghastly trends on West Virginia's economic recovery during COVID-19. But be warned, these blood-curdling bars and spine-tingling lines are not for the squeamish. West Virginia lost 93,900…
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…
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…