The final tax bill that Republicans in Congress are poised to approve would provide most of its benefits to high-income households while raising taxes on many low- and middle-income West Virginians. While the bill goes into effect in 2018, many of the provisions directly affecting low- and middle-income individuals and families would all expire after…
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New Research Finds Opioid Overdose Deaths Decline with More Generous Unemployment Insurance Benefits
As West Virginia lawmakers continue to consider Senate Bills 2 and 3, we urge them to keep in mind the conclusions of a recent study, which found that the harmful effects of job loss on opioid overdose mortality decline with increasing state unemployment benefit levels. The study, titled “Unemployment Insurance and Opioid Overdose Mortality in the United States,” looked at county…
For Immediate Release Contact: Caitlin Cook, 304.543.4879 [Charleston, WV] - After the House of Representatives voted today to pass the Republican tax bill, Ted Boettner of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released the following statement:
95,000 low-income West Virginians are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage. Contact your delegates in the West Virginia House and ask them to oppose HB 3136, a bill that originated in the House Finance Committee this week, quickly making it to the House floor for first reading today. This risky and untested proposal to take…
According to a study by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, the COVID-19 mortality rate nationwide is twice as high in prisons compared to the general population. Social distancing is difficult if not impossible in correctional facilities due to their congregate nature. This, combined with the reality that incarcerated people are more likely…
More than five months after the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19, legitimate concern is growing that the burden placed on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to comply with the excessive paperwork needed to maintain their food assistance benefits could be heightening food insecurity in West Virginia. Last spring, West Virginia applied…
New SNAP restrictions included in the federal debt ceiling deal will impact West Virginia more severely than any other state on a per capita basis due to the Mountain State’s aging population. Nationwide, nearly 750,000 older adults aged 50-54 will be at risk of losing their food assistance due to these new provisions, including 7,000 in West…
Health care is a funny thing. Everyone needs it, yet lots of people can't afford it, and hospitals have to treat them regardless. Treatment prices vary wildly depending not only on where you live but where you go and whether or not you have insurance. Oddly, those without insurance are almost always charged more for…
Despite record-low unemployment rates and fully recovered employment and labor force participation rates, West Virginia is still down 24,300 jobs from its pre-pandemic level. The primary driving force behind this discrepancy is that West Virginia continues to experience population loss. While there is currently a higher percentage of West Virginians working than there was during the height…
WOWK13 - West Virginia has received half of the $1.35 billion that was allocated to the mountain state from the American Rescue Plan back in March. Watch the full segment. Now there are some who say the distribution of the money to those who need it is not happening fast enough. As the nationwide eviction…