Access to health care services and the affordability of health insurance are crucial to overall health but vary widely across the United States. Factors including health insurance enrollment, adult wellness visits, health care affordability and Medicare quality are considered to score states across the country, and here in the Mountain State, the results are abysmal.
While West Virginia has done an outstanding job of getting folks the health care coverage they need, there is room for improvement when it comes to covering the state’s most precious resource — our kids.
Cutting Medicaid funding or services is NOT an option. Lawmakers must restore all Medicaid line items to the governor’s proposed funding levels during the proposed special session in May — we must preserve and protect services for our families.
That’s a wrap on the 2024 legislative session. And despite disappointments, we did see some legislative wins. Let’s start with the good news for West Virginians and some things we can celebrate.
If you’ve been living anywhere other than under a rock, chances are you’ve seen a headline or two recently regarding a measles outbreak that is continuing to spread. Measles is on the rise around the world, and even experts who saw it coming say the increase is “staggering.”
Rural access to maternal care grows ever more challenging, with more than one-third of U.S. counties considered maternity care deserts, and according to a 2022 March of Dimes report, West Virginia received a failing grade for infant and maternal health.
West Virginia has removed 118,000 residents from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) since its eligibility review began this spring. That is quite a stunning number of people impacted — about 13,000 West Virginians are losing their health care coverage every month. They are our friends, neighbors, and family.
I remember my mother — who just celebrated her 91st birthday earlier this month — recalling her three children all having the measles at the same time. As the youngest of three, I have no recollection, but even at the ripe old age of 91 my mother remembers the anguish and exhaustion of caring for all three of us.
Nothing keeps West Virginians up at night like the cost of health care. And with the rising prices of food, rent and child care, too many families are left worrying about how to pay the bills and make ends meet. And to add insult to injury, health care costs perennially outpace inflation and all other staples we depend upon to live.
The federal government is staring down a shutdown. The current spending laws expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. Without a deal by Saturday night, funding will lapse and many government functions, including some health care programs, will temporarily stop.
