West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, joined by Senator Jay Rockefeller and others, announced his decision to accept federal funding to extend Medicaid coverage to more uninsured West Virginians. The Governor directed the Bureau of Medical Services to draft a plan to submit to the federal government. In West Virginia, the Governor has the authority to move forward without approval by the legislature. (The Speaker of the House and President of the Senate both support his decision.)

The Governor estimated the federal funding will help the state offer coverage to approximately 91,500 West Virginians, significantly reducing the number of uninsured.

“One out of every four West Virginians — not strangers, but the men, women and children we know from the playground, church, or the grocery store — still do not have health insurance,”said Senator Jay Rockefeller at the press conference. “Governor Tomblin has been working hard to close that gap because it affects everyone in this state in some way. And today I am so proud to stand with him to announce this enormous step forward. Medicaid is a lifeline for so many West Virginia families. It’s affordable and efficient. It creates jobs and increases wages. Currently a quarter of West Virginians count on it. And by helping uninsured families get coverage, we reduce health care costs for everyone else.”

We spoke with Renate Pore, the Director of Health Care Policy for West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, just after the Governor’s press conference.  “People talk about pulling yourselves up by your bootstraps,” said Pore. “This will give people the bootstraps to pull themselves up with.”

The Medicaid Expansion Powerpoint accompanying the announcement explained the impact on the state if it fails to accept the Medicaid option.