Washington – More than 93% of West Virginia children participating in Medicaid have faced health benefit restrictions as a result of the state’s penalty-based “Medicaid Redesign” plan according to a study released today by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. West Virginia received federal approval two years ago to start restricting access to certain health care benefits if Medicaid beneficiaries did not sign or comply with a “Member Agreement”.
“More than nine in ten of those affected by the change so far are children – even though children cannot themselves sign an agreement,” said Joan Alker, Deputy Executive Director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. “Even newborns are facing health care coverage restrictions under this punitive policy change.”
