Health

October 22, 2020 by Rhonda Rogombe
West Virginia Medicaid Enrollment Continues to Rise Even as Unemployment Claims Level Out

Last week, West Virginia’s Bureau for Children and Families released updated state Medicaid enrollment figures. The data revealed that 6,500 additional West Virginians registered for the program in September. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in February – and the subsequent loss of employment and wages – 53,500 additional individuals have gained coverage. This…

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October 21, 2020 by WVCBP
As Ongoing Pandemic Highlights Need for Affordable Health Care Coverage for All, WVCBP’s New Policy Brief Explores How Medicaid Buy-In Program Could Extend Coverage to Thousands of West Virginians

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV -  West Virginia saw the largest drop in the uninsured rate in the country following implementation of the Affordable Care Act, primarily due to success of the Medicaid expansion. While progress in reducing the uninsured rate has stalled since 2016, the pandemic has reinforced the importance…

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October 20, 2020 by Kelly Allen
Organizations Share Concerns About ‘Obamacare’ Lawsuit Ahead of Oral Arguments

West Virginia MetroNews - With the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to hear oral arguments next month regarding former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a group of West Virginia organizations on Tuesday shared their concerns about what overturning the law could mean for the state. Read the full article. The West Virginia Center on Budget…

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October 20, 2020 by Kelly Allen
200K Could Lose ACA Insurance

The Dominion Post, Insurance News Net - If the Affordable Care Act is overturned, nearly 200,000 West Virginians would lose their health care insurance and 16,000 jobs in the state would be lost. Read the full article. These are some of the statistics that came out of a Zoom meeting Tuesday held by the West…

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October 20, 2020 by Kelly Allen
Smoothing the Transition: A Medicaid Buy-in Could Reduce Churn and Expand Health Insurance Coverage to Thousands of West Virginians

Introduction Despite major gains under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), too many low- and middle- income West Virginians still lack consistent affordable health care coverage options. West Virginia saw the largest drop in the uninsured rate in the country after implementation of the ACA and Medicaid expansion, going from 13.5 percent of the population uninsured…

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October 20, 2020 by WVCBP
17 West Virginia Non-profits Call on Governor Justice to Reallocate Remaining CARES Act Funding

WVVA - As part of federal COVID-relief legislation passed in March, West Virginia received $1.25 billion to address the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Read full article. As of October 19, there is still over $969 million remaining unspent with a December 30 deadline for utilizing the funds. Governor Justice’s current proposal would send…

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September 21, 2020 by WVCBP
Health Care for All West Virginia Coalition Urges Senate to Prioritize Immediate Need for COVID Relief Over Rushing To Fill Supreme Court Vacancy

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2020 Contact: Kelly Allen, 304-612-4180 Charleston, WV- For several months, members of the Health Care for All WV coalition have urged our U.S. Senators and House Representatives to prioritize a robust COVID relief package that would address the immense suffering West Virginia families, businesses, and local governments are facing. Congress has failed…

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September 15, 2020 by WVCBP
With New Data Showing Health Coverage Progress in West Virginia Stalled Even Prior to COVID-19 Crisis, WVCBP’s New Policy Brief Details How State Can Cover All Children

For Immediate Release: September 15, 2020 Contact: Sean O'Leary, 304-400-8899 Charleston, WV - The number of West Virginians without health insurance stayed the same in 2019, further stalling the historic gains made under the Affordable Care Act even before the COVID-19 economic and health crisis caused job and health insurance loss for tens of thousands of West Virginians.  Today's…

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September 15, 2020 by Sean O'Leary
A CHIP Buy-in Could Help West Virginia Achieve Universal Coverage for Kids

Introduction The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. CHIP is administered at the state level and is usually tied closely to state Medicaid programs. Each state program has its own rules about who qualifies for CHIP. Read the full policy…

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August 25, 2020 by Kelly Allen
West Virginians’ Health Care Threatened as ACA Lawsuit Reaches the Supreme Court

Despite the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid expansion in providing health coverage in the midst of a pandemic, proponents of the lawsuit to dismantle the ACA, including Republican state Attorneys General and the Trump administration, march on. Oral arguments are scheduled for November 10 in front of the Supreme Court of…

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