As the date rolls closer for the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act and in the same week that the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the thirty-odd time to repeal the law, the Wheeling Intelligencer reported on a doctor forced to close his doors due to Obamacare. The reason given is that the…
Budget Beat
Budget Beat for May 17, 2013 Evidence Counts - the WVCBP blog Cuts to the FY 2014 state budget are beginning to take their toll as the state's colleges and universities react by taxing college goers with an increase in tuition. With state aid decreasing and tuition costs increasing, students and their families are taking…
Budget Beat - May 10, 2013 Evidence Counts - the WVCBP blog Watch where you get sick. Costs for medical procedures in West Virginia can vary wildly from hospital to hospital, costing thousands of dollars more depending on which hospital is performing them. Read more in Ted's blog post. The power of West Virginia's governor…
Yesterday Governor Tomblin announced his decision to expand Medicaid. Effective January 1, 2014, tens of thousands of West Virginia's working families will now have health insurance. This long-awaited decision is the biggest victory for low-income working West Virginia families in decades. Read more about what the WVCBP had to say about this big news here.…
The 2013 Legislative Session and FY 2014 Budget are now in the history books. Many of the major pieces of new legislation were the focus of our research over the past year. In addition, as the session unfolded, we responded to issues d'jour as they appeared. Here's how things turned out: FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY Arguably the high…
Freedom means different things to different people. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranks West Virginia 42nd in overall freedom and recommends that the state cut employment and corporate income taxes, reform liability laws, and stop mandating full-day kindergarten attendance. Read more in Sean's blog post. The ranking places the priorities of corporations and…
Budget Beat for April 19, 2013 Evidence Counts - the WVCBP blog This week was all about taxes and budgets. While the House and Senate met to work out differences between their budget bills and the one presented by the governor in February, there really wasn't much to talk about as any disparities were minimal.…
Evidence Counts - the WVCBP blog Governor Tomblin has asked the Senate and House leadership to restore a small amount of the 7.5% in budget cuts requested in his FY 2014 budget. For more details on the governor's most recent proposal, read Sean's latest blog post. This week HB 3072 passed out of the Senate…
Medicaid Expansion Forum - This Sunday This Sunday join others from around the state for a forum and training on Medicaid Expansion. Registration and refreshments begin at 1PM, the event starts at 2PM - 3:30PM. Location: Christ Church United Methodist, 1221 Quarrier Street, East, Charleston. Speakers include Senate President Jeff Kessler. To find out about…
Budget Beat for March 29, 2013 At the Capitol Two issues which the WVCBP has researched and provided analyses on in recent months are receiving some legislative attention as the session winds down. Worksharing (HB 2952) passed the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday during one of the committee's marathon late-session meetings. It awaits action in…