A forum highlights how Medicaid is an essential part of West Virginian’s healthcare system

By Katherine Skeldon / October 1, 2024

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Medicaid matters for many West Virginian’s, especially the over 50% of them living in the most rural parts of the state, which is why the affordable health insurance program is being discussed more in-depth.

West Virginians for Affordable Health Care was host to Medicaid Matters: A Community Summit on Healthcare Tuesday at the main branch of the Kanawha County Public Library in Charleston.

The forum provided free enrollment assistance to the public as well as answered any questions they may have had about Medicaid, and provided guidance to those who may have lost coverage, or just need help navigating the system.

At a projected federal/ state budget of more than about $5.2 billion, West Virginian’s for Affordable Healthcare Executive Director Ellen Allen said Medicaid is the state’s largest health insurance program.

“It’s interwoven within our daily lives, communities, schools, health centers, and our very economy, and Deputy Commissioner Young will talk to us more in-depth about what’s coming up in the future, budgetary concerns, enrollment, so it’s really good to get to bring people together around those issues,” Allen said.

The Deputy Commissioner from the West Virginia Bureau of Medical Services, Sarah Young was among those speaking on the importance of Medicaid at Tuesday’s forum.

Others to speak included Gina Sharps with the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition, Patrick Brown from Recovery Point, and Jeremy Smith with West Virginia Navigators, a free grant-funded program that helps the community find and sign up for health insurance.

Smith said Medicaid is just one of the healthcare programs that West Virginia Navigator assists people with, but it’s one that has been a gamechanger for West Virginia as a whole.

“Before the Medicaid expansion, we had almost a 15-percent uninsured rate, and after Medicaid was expanded, that went down to around 6-percent, so it has been huge for the state,” Smith said.

Allen said today, approximately 516,000 West Virginia residents are on Medicaid with 87,000 who are enrolled in Medicare are also being covered by Medicaid.

She said it covers people who are under a particular household income, who may have no employer-provided healthcare, and who may not be able to afford premiums within the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Allen said nearly 50% of West Virginia children either rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). She said now the focus lies in getting this information out to more and more families, because Medicaid has proven to be so beneficial to them.

“We know that if kids have access to healthcare in their early childhood, they have better health outcomes when they become adults, and then when you have families who have access to healthcare, the whole continuum of care provides for the family,” Allen said. “Our goal at West Virginian’s For Affordable Healthcare is to bring that consumer voice.”

She said rural residents are much more likely to depend on Medicaid than those living in urban areas.

Smith said Medicaid is available for people to sign up for year-round and it looks at your current monthly income. He said if you’re under the threshold, you can sign up for Medicaid or CHIP.

Smith said WV Navigator’s whole mission is to help people navigate the complex process of being able to access healthcare.

“A lot of people are pretty familiar that if you can get insurance through your job, you can just check the box and, you know, you get insurance, but there’s a lot of other programs and it’s a little bit more complicated to see who qualifies, how you sign up,” he said.

Smith said for those who may be over the income level to qualify for Medicaid, there’s other options available on the Marketplace at healthcare.gov. The annual open-enrollment for other healthcare programs on the Marketplace starts November 1 and lasts through January 15.