17-04-2025
GOP delegate says West Virginia hospitals rely on Medicaid patients to remain operational, warns against federal cuts
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia delegates let a House bill that would have triggered the loss of health insurance for 166,000 West Virginians die, but working class West Virginians could still lose their coverage if federal lawmakers trim the federal budget by making cuts to Medicaid, Del. Elliot Pritt (R-District 50) said on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
The bill had called for a trigger law which would have eliminated the Medicaid Expansion program in the state, if Congress reduces Medicaid payments.
Federal lawmakers could make up to $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid funding, which would impact West Virginia.
In that case, states would be forced to cut Medicaid or raise taxes to maintain it, according to political experts.
Medicaid Expansion provides health care coverage to working class West Virginia families.
Pritt said a number of state lawmakers have reached out to West Virginia's federal representatives to urge them to vote against cuts to Medicaid coverage, out of fear of how the loss of federal funding will impact the state economy and West Virginians' access to health care.
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'It also would detrimentally affect the ability of our hospitals to make even probably pay roll and stay open,' added Pritt. 'Just in Fayette County alone, not regular Medicaid, this Medicaid Expansion puts over $28 million into the local economy, and those are just people just in Fayette County on the Medicaid Expansion.'
Pritt explained that Congress provides 90 percent of West Virginia's Medicaid Expansion funds.
Pritt pointed to data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which shows the impact of ending Medicaid Expansion in West Virginia counties.
Cutting Medicaid Expansion would remove $49 million from Raleigh County's economy, nearly $47 million from Mercer County, over $22 million from Greenbrier County, $18 million from Boone, around $14 million from Wyoming County, over $8 million from Summers County, over $15 million from McDowell County, about six million from Monroe County and $130 million from Kanawha County.
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He said the state does not have the money in the budget to cover its Medicaid Expansion obligations if federal lawmakers take away West Virginia's funding.
'It's very hard for me to imagine a scenario where it remained fully funded,' said Pritt. 'I think it would immediately be called for a special session. My inclination is to say that they (state lawmakers) would do their best to preserve some of the funding, for probably the people that absolutely needed it the most, but the vast majority of that would be cut.'
In 2024, state lawmakers had pushed to cut Medicaid funding by $147 million but changed their plan after the state's Republican governor at the time, Jim Justice, demanded that they restore the funding.
Justice is now a U.S. Senator.
Medicaid covers half of all West Viginia births, statistics show.
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