Universal Health Coverage is a reachable goal per some West Virginia policy makers
02 01 09 - 13:03
Changes could be in store for WVa health care
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Health care coverage for all West Virginians has long been the Holy Grail of health policy in the state, and if the optimism of advocates and policymakers is any guide, 2009 could see them advance closer to that goal.
With a governor pledging to find coverage for all working residents and a legislative effort to devise a "road map'' for a restructured health care system kicking off in January, the battered national economy and an uncertain future have not intimidated planners.
"This really is our time to get it done,'' said Perry Bryant, executive director of West Virginians For Affordable Health Care.
Bryant has long pushed for complete coverage of West Virginians through some combination of public and private insurance plans, and his reading of the state and national signs has convinced him that objective is within reach.
About 248,000 of West Virginia's 1.8 million people are uninsured, although that number fluctuates. Bryant believes that number can be reduced with a relatively modest expenditure of state dollars, which will be a key selling point for lawmakers watching other state budgets struggle with deficits.
Bryant wants to see the state revise its eligibility requirements for adults receiving Medicaid, which would open the door to more federal dollars providing coverage.
West Virginia's ratio of state-to-federal Medicaid dollars is favorable to the state, which spent about $651 million on Medicaid in 2007, compared with roughly $1.6 billion spent by the federal government.
"If we can take predominantly federal dollars to insure low income West Virginians, that's a very smart move,'' he said.
Bryant's optimism also lies with the forthcoming recommendations from four working groups convened by the Legislature in May and charged with re-examining West Virginia's health care delivery system.
Those recommendations will be made public at a January legislative interim meeting, but those familiar with the working groups say a key element will be working toward a "medical home'' model for West Virginia patients.