Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald, Times West Virginian - Earlier this month, when lawmakers were still preparing to come to Charleston for the legislative session, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital dropped a bombshell: it would stop taking the state’s public employees’ health insurance. Almost immediately, lawmakers promised action and on the first day of the session, state…
Health
WTRF - As of July 1, state employees may no longer have their medical care covered at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. Read the full article. Jim Kaufman, President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospitals Association, made that announcement on MetroNews TalkLine on Thursday. It comes after years of issues funding West Virginia Public Employees…
West Virginia's Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) provides health care coverage to state and local government employees and their families, with total enrollment of about 75,000 active members. Providing adequate funding for PEIA has been an ongoing issue for the state, one that has only worsened in recent years. After four years of prioritizing flat…
Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Coal Valley News - With federal designations regarding COVID-19 set to lift next year, about 42,000 children in West Virginia are at risk of losing insurance coverage. Read the full article. In a presentation during an interim session of the West Virginia Legislature’s Committee on Children and Families last week, lawmakers heard research…
WSAZ - The COVID-19 pandemic forced government at all levels to take unprecedented action, and now as the pandemic wanes, officials have to consider ways to unwind those emergency actions. Read the full article. The West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy says one such move could leave children without health insurance whenever President Biden…
In West Virginia, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are critical health programs for low- and moderate-income families and kids. Before the pandemic, about four in nine children were covered through these programs, and this robust enrollment contributes to West Virginia covering 97 percent of kids with health coverage. Since the start of…
WBOY, News Break, Darik News - After a three-year pause due to the pandemic, the 4th Annual Food For All Summit for West Virginia returns to Buckhannon on Wednesday. Read the full article. The Food For All Summit brings in people from all over the state of West Virginia to talk about food security issues…
Introduction SNAP Stretch, a program that matches SNAP benefits spent at participating markets to increase fruit and vegetable affordability and access, increases consumption of healthy foods among low-income households, boosts sales at local farmers markets, and benefits our broader economy. A $1 million state investment in SNAP Stretch could have a $2.84 million economic benefit…
Open enrollment for 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage begins today, November 1. The Marketplace has been a critical feature of our health care system since its introduction in 2014. It provides quality health coverage for families who are not eligible for employer-sponsored coverage, Medicare, or Medicaid. The ongoing public health emergency triggered by…
Public News Service - The Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden last month caps the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors who have Medicare, beginning next year. Read the full article. West Virginians say they approve the move - but many are struggling to cover the costs of other prescription medications.…