Medicaid matters: A community summit on health care

Medicaid Matters: A Community Summit on Healthcare will be held Oct. 1, 2024, at the Kanawha County Public Library. (Getty Images)

West Virginians for Affordable Health Care (WVAHC) could not be happier to announce our annual summit. Medicaid Matters: A Community Summit on Healthcare will be held Oct. 1, 2024, at the Kanawha County Public Library, and will consist of two sessions — both sessions are free and open to the public.

We have hosted the Medicaid Summit for over a decade to highlight the significance of the state’s largest health insurance program and how it provides access to affordable care for the most vulnerable West Virginians.

At the beginning of 2023, Medicaid provided health care to more than 650,000 West Virginians, including children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, low-income working adults and seniors. Medicaid played an essential role in protecting the state’s population from the spread of the deadly and contagious COVID virus.

At a projected combined federal/state budget of more than about $5.2 billion, Medicaid supports not only West Virginia residents but also the health care infrastructure through more than $4 billion in federal matching dollars. That’s an eye-popping return on investment that should make supporting Medicaid a no-brainer.

This is why West Virginians for Affordable Health Care is thrilled to be hosting its annual Medicaid Summit. And in keeping with our tradition and mission of bringing a consumer voice to public policy, we have added a new session: “Enroll & Eat” gets underway at 10 a.m. and will be focused on educating the public, providing free enrollment assistance, and/or providing guidance to individuals who may have lost coverage, or just need help navigating the system.

If you are without insurance or anticipating the loss of your current health coverage, stop in for free assistance from WV Navigators, the experts in enrollment. Whether or not you qualify for Medicaid, WV Navigators will help you with affordable ACA options.

The afternoon session will consist of policy conversations from local experts composed of health care professionals and advocates focusing on Medicaid and its emerging issues, as well as substance use disorder and recovery and oral health.

Sarah Young, deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Medical Services at the West Virginia Department of Human Services will be kicking off the afternoon “Policy Talks” session starting at 1:30 p.m. Young and her team bring decades of experience and insights about Medicaid in West Virginia, how it is currently working, and what we can expect in the near future.

Today, 512,000 West Virginia residents rely on Medicaid. About 87,000 West Virginia residents enrolled in Medicare are also covered by Medicaid. More than 50% of West Virginia residents live in rural areas; rural residents are much more likely to depend upon Medicaid than those living in urban areas.

In one of the poorest states in the country, the cost of health care in West Virginia weighs heavily on our residents. This financial strain creates significant barriers to accessing essential health care services and threatens the financial stability of individuals and families. Medicaid is a lifeline. It saves lives every day. I’ve seen it.

One of the reasons Medicaid is continually at the forefront of our advocacy efforts is because we must ensure lawmakers prioritize the health of West Virginians and fully fund Medicaid today, tomorrow, and into the future.

It seems every year Medicaid has a target on its back.

Medicaid covers 53% of all children in West Virginia, including 56% of children with special health care needs.  Medicaid is not a luxury. It’s a vital program for tens of thousands of children, their families, and their communities.

Know anyone in a nursing home? Medicaid covers 76% of nursing home residents in West Virginia, including Medicare beneficiaries who rely on Medicaid for long-term care, which Medicare does not cover — 87,000 Medicare recipients also rely on Medicaid for gaps in coverage

Failure to adequately fund Medicaid would have catastrophic long-term detrimental effects on our economy and our people. Stability is essential for our health and emotional well-being. It is also essential to our hospitals and the 512,000 West Virginians who depend upon Medicaid for their health-related needs

People — and economies — rely on stability.

Medicaid matters. Period.

Join us on Oct. 1, 2024, at the Kanawha County Public Library. All the fun kicks off at 10 a.m.

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