Health

January 13, 2025 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia Ranks 44th in Annual Kids Count Data Book on Child Well-being

West Virginia News - The annual Kids Count Data Book was recently published, highlighting where each state ranks in terms of child well-being. Read the full article. As a whole, West Virginia placed 44th in the nation after looking at data in categories including education, health, economy and family and community. The study helps officials…

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January 10, 2025 by Rhonda Rogombe
West Virginia Health Care Advocates Call on Senate to Reject RFK Jr. as Health Secretary 

West Virginia Watch, Postindustrial, Times West Virginian - Health care advocates from West Virginia have joined with thousands of physicians and public health professionals around the country in asking the U.S. Senate to reject President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. as head of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Read the…

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January 9, 2025 by Kelly Allen
Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Could Cost West Virginia Hundreds of Millions of Federal Health Care Dollars; More Than 40,000 Residents Could Lose Health Coverage

Overview Read the full fact sheet. Federal policymakers are reportedly considering enacting work reporting requirements for Medicaid in the new Congress. Similar state-level policy led to disastrous consequences in Arkansas in 2018-19 until a federal judge blocked the program. Enacting an Arkansas-style work reporting requirement at the federal level would result in West Virginia’s health…

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January 4, 2025 by Kelly Allen
Lawmaker Behind WV Funding for Out-of-state School has Pushed Right-wing Policies

Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, played a key role in securing up to $5 million in state funding for an out-of-state Catholic school and its right-wing advocacy plans from a fund typically tapped for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Read the full article. McGeehan has a lengthy history of proposing use…

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December 20, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
Bill That Would Expand SNAP Work Requirements in WV Will Be Back Next Session, Sponsor Says

West Virginia Watch, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Times West Virginian, West Virginia Daily News - A bill that would expand the work requirements for West Virginians receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get another chance at becoming law during the upcoming legislative session, its sponsor said.  Read the full article. Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh,…

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December 20, 2024 by WVCBP
Born Into Poverty, No Fault of Their Own

Beckley Register-Herald - Tough stories about kids hurt my heart, especially this time of year when all that we do should be about showing them the lights, especially in a sea of darkness. Read the full op-ed. I stand corrected. That should be the year-round mission, no matter the age, no matter the holiday, presents…

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December 16, 2024 by WVCBP
State Has Highest Concentration of Bereaved Children

Beckley Register-Herald, Yahoo News, Bluefield Daily Telegraph- West Virginia has the highest concentration of bereaved children with 13.7% – or 1 in 7 children – projected to experience the loss of a parent or sibling by age 18, according to the 2024 Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model. Read the full article. Nationwide, approximately 8% of children…

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December 14, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Editor’s Notes: Demand better of officials

Parkersburg News and Sentinel - During what the song says is “the most wonderful time of the year,” much of what we adults do to make it magical is for children. We want them to feel the joy and love of the season, we want to give them what we can, we want to help them understand…

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December 13, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
WV Center on Budget and Policy’s ‘Kids Count Data Book’ Shows 25% of State’s Children Live in Poverty

Real WV - The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (WVCBP), along with the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, has released its 2024 “Kids Count” data book.  Read the full article. This data book provides both statewide and county-by-county information on the well-being of children, and informs advocates, the public and policymakers on how…

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December 12, 2024 by WVCBP
2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book Highlights Key Indicators to Inform Future of Child Well-being in WV

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2024 Contact: Sean O'Leary, (304)-400-8899 Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (WVCBP) is excited to announce the release of the 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book for West Virginia. KIDS COUNT in West Virginia is a joint effort by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the WVCBP which provides an annual snapshot of…

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