The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included several provisions to help make health care more accessible and affordable for Americans. One provision is the Individual Marketplace, which allows people who are not eligible for health coverage through their employers, Medicaid, or Medicare to purchase health insurance, often with income-based subsidies that make the monthly premiums more…
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Beckley Register-Herald, Fairmont Times West Virginian - Over the last two decades, West Virginia went from one of the bluest states to one of the reddest. It also went from a state with expansive abortion access to one that will likely see the end of the procedure should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v.…
The COVID-19 pandemic has now been ongoing for two years. Opioid overdose deaths are rising. Maternal and infant mortality rates are alarming. The number of children in the foster care system across our state continues to outpace the rest of the nation. Despite these realities, the West Virginia Legislature did very little to pass proactive health-…
Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald - More West Virginians will likely go hungry this fall, after lawmakers failed to extend a program for emergency food assistance. Read the full article. As many as 24,000 adult West Virginians could be pushed off of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting in October, if they…
New Research Finds Opioid Overdose Deaths Decline with More Generous Unemployment Insurance Benefits
While life expectancy has steadily increased for Americans over the past century, these gains have slowed in recent decades — and even reversed course — in some populations due to the precipitous rise of opioid overdose deaths. This is of particular concern in West Virginia, the state hardest hit by the opioid epidemic and facing…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - What if you could turn $20 into $40? What if that money could improve the health of your family, giving you the ability to buy fresh fruits and vegetables while freeing up money to pay for much-needed medications? What if, at the same time, that money could improve the economy of your…
Public News Service - West Virginia groups are pushing state lawmakers to pass several bills related to health care, bills they say would lower copays and increase access to health insurance. Read the full article. Legislators are considering a bill which would allow people who make a small amount of money over Medicaid's income limit to "buy…
For Immediate Release: February 14, 2022Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – In May 2016, West Virginia implemented a pilot program that placed time limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for adults without children in the home (officially referred to as "abled-bodied adults without dependents" or "ABAWDs") across nine counties. Under these time limits, those affected were…
Background In May 2016, West Virginia implemented a pilot program that placed time limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for adults without children in the home (officially referred to as “able-bodied adults without dependents” or “ABAWDs”) across nine counties. Under these time limits, those affected were ineligible for SNAP if they could not…
For Immediate Release: February 10, 2022Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – On Thursday February 10, Health Care for All WV, a statewide coalition of health advocacy organizations and individuals working to improve access to health care for West Virginians, held a press conference at the WV State Capitol Complex in support of HB 3001. The legislation, introduced by…