Charleston Gazette - After West Virginia ranked in the last three spots for the past seven State New Economy Index reports, Ted Boettner, executive director at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said he would like to see some changes. Read "While we should always be cautious about economic indexes that over simplify…
WVCBP in the News
Charleston Gazette - The Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace in West Virginia will see a new element introduced to it in time for the 2015 open enrollment period — competition. Friday was the deadline for insurance providers to enter the ACA marketplace. Read Highmark West Virginia, previously the only insurer in the state's ACA…
West Virginia Metro News - People with federal and private student loans issued prior to 2010 will not have the opportunity to refinance those loans at today's lower interest rates — at least not right now. Read There were not enough votes in the U.S. Senate this week to move forward with a proposed bill…
Charleston Gazette - The number of people getting health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program has increased more in West Virginia than in almost any other state since Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, according to data from the federal government released Wednesday. Read As of April 30, nearly 154,000…
Charleston Daily Mail - Just a few years after the Great Recession led to job loss and stagnant wages across the country, many public employees in several states, including West Virginia, are set to see their paychecks increase. Read The West Virginia Legislature passed a budget bill in March that included a $504 across-the-board raise…
The News Virginian, The Denver Post - Barack Obama need not ask how well he's doing in coal country, because the answer is always the same: Not well. Read A cerebral black man never had much of a chance in poor, rural white Appalachia; let's be honest (though we don't have to like it). In 2012,…
West Virginia Metro News – An advocate for West Virginia's low and middle income families along with other vulnerable populations says the Mountain State is at a crossroads now that the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new emissions limits for existing coal-fired power plants. Read Most state leaders have been quick to criticize the draft…
Charleston Gazette - Last June, on a warm day on the campus of Georgetown University, President Obama took off his suit jacket and launched into his most significant speech to date about the dangers human society faces from the buildup of greenhouse gases in the planet's atmosphere. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Obama promised serious…
Associated Press, Huntington Herald-Dispatch — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin plans to restore funding to some West Virginia social services programs that he previously cut. Read Tomblin wrote to state Senate President Jeff Kessler and House Speaker Tim Miley on Wednesday that the restored funding includes $150,000 for an in-home family education program, $80,000 for child…
Charleston Gazette - While almost every state in the country slashed spending on higher education during the recent recession, West Virginia is one of the only states continuing to cut funding to its public colleges and universities, a new report shows. Read From last fiscal year to this fiscal year, West Virginia cut more in…