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…
Health
Overview and Key Findings Medicaid is one of the most important health care programs in West Virginia. During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), it served up to 655,000 people—or one in three West Virginians. It helped folks across the state stay afloat and connected to their health care during an unprecedented time. Between April…
West Virginia Watch, Times West Virginian - More than 200,000 West Virginians get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, a 2010 law that President-elect Donald Trump tried to overturn during his first four years as president. Read the full article. Now with a second Trump presidency on the horizon, residents and health care…
Mountain State Spotlight - Dear West Virginia elected officials, the voters of our state selected you to represent them in the Legislature, in Congress and in the governor’s office. Read the full article. The campaign is over. Now it’s time to govern. Over the last year, hundreds of West Virginians have told Mountain State Spotlight the…
Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian - For 40 years in Marion County, Gia Deasy taught special education classes, then worked as the county special education director. She advocated for decades for federal laws to protect people with disabilities, once segregated in institutions. Read the full article. Now, laws protect children who need accommodations at…
Mountain State Spotlight - During a national taskforce meeting about opioids in August 2016, an aide whispered into Huntington Mayor Steve Williams’ ear. The top federal drug control official wanted to meet privately with Williams. Read the full article. Just five days earlier, 27 people had overdosed in the span of four hours in Huntington.…
Mountain State Spotlight, Clay County Free Press, Times West Virginian - In mid-September, Gov. Jim Justice told the people of West Virginia he’d be calling the Legislature back into session at the end of the month. Read the full article. “I promised you I’d fight like crazy for a 5% tax cut, I promised you…
West Virginia MetroNews - Lawmakers who wanted more specifics before buying into another income tax cut said they finally heard enough detail to feel confident. Read the full article. Others questioned whether the reduced spending to balance out the tax cut will shortchange state programs meant to support childcare and child welfare. Gov. Jim Justice’s…
Huntington Herald-Dispatch - September was Hunger Action Month at the Facing Hunger Foodbank, where staff received enough donations to provide more than 500,000 meals, according to Chief Development Officer Samantha Edwards. Read the full article. “It’s a really big month to bring more awareness to hunger, because we have a lot of people that we…
West Virginia has some of the worst birthing outcomes in the nation. The WVCBP has previously focused on racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, but the state must also address infant and maternal morbidity, or serious health complications that do not result in death. These are far more common and have a significant bearing on quality of…