Blog

December 18, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Policymakers Must Prioritize Vital Medicaid Investment that Boosts Health, Providers, and State Economy

Medicaid is a federal-state partnership that provides health coverage to over 500,000 West Virginians on average. The program is vital to West Virginia’s hospitals and providers, with research showing Medicaid expansion has resulted in reduced uncompensated care, increases in hospital operating margins, and decreases in closures of hospitals and obstetric units. Medicaid improves hospital finances…

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November 29, 2023 by Sean O'Leary
Census Data Shows Migration Mostly Happens To/From Neighboring States

According to newly released U.S. Census Bureau estimates, West Virginia's net migration was positive in 2022. Approximately 43,000 people moved to West Virginia from another state last year, though that's 1,000 fewer than moved to the state in 2021. The number of people who moved away from West Virginia to another state rose from 36,000…

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November 16, 2023 by WVCBP
A View of End-of-Life Care, From Behind Bars

This guest blog post was authored by Brent Radabaugh. Brent is serving a life with mercy sentence at Huttonsville Correctional Center. He is a graduate of the Bible College, a peer mentor, and a proud father of two young men. There was a time in my life when I don’t think I could have changed…

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November 14, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Manna Meal’s Critical Work Is At Risk in Charleston

Between changes to food policy and a local food pantry closure, hunger is alarmingly high in Kanawha County. As a state, West Virginia struggles with some of the highest food insecurity in the country. Statewide, 14 percent of households are considered food insecure, compared to 10.2 percent of the U.S. population. With the end of…

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October 4, 2023 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia Sees $109 Million Revenue Gap in First Quarter of Fiscal Year

The first quarter of FY 2024 ended with West Virginia collecting $109 million less than it collected in the first quarter of FY 2023, though the state did exceed the artificially low revenue estimates set by Governor Justice's administration. Most of the gap compared with last year was due to a collapse in severance tax…

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September 20, 2023 by Sean O'Leary
A Deeper Look at West Virginia’s 2022 Poverty Data

According to the Census Bureau's official poverty estimates, West Virginia saw its child poverty rate increase from 20.7 percent to 25.0 percent between 2021 and 2022, the only state to see an increase by the official measure (along with Puerto Rico). In 2022, West Virginia's child poverty rate was the second highest among the 50…

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