Latest news with #PEIA
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Planned PEIA rate increases elicit concern from lawmakers and policyholders
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – Hundreds of thousands of West Virginians with PEIA coverage are set to see rate increases in the coming months. With increases of up to 16% in premiums expected to impact certain West Virginia residents as early as July according to PEIA, members of the general public along with state lawmakers have voiced concerns regarding the coverage provider. While many say a change is in order, no one can seem to agree on how to appropriately address financial concerns associated with the program. 'We keep doing things that they tell us is going to fix the problem and then it ends up not fixing the problem,' Delegate Eric Brooks told 59News. 'We'll see what the options are when we get back down there. I think the governor is really pushing for a Special Session to deal with this before January when we have our next legislative session.' A bill introduced during the most recent session of the West Virginia Legislature – House Bill 2623 – would abolish PEIA altogether, though some detractors have characterized the legislation as reckless. The bill was under consideration by the House Committee on Health and Human Resources at the time the most recent legislative session was brought to a close. Governor Patrick Morrisey told 59News he has been working with the legislature to address issues with PEIA, citing an overall need for fiscal responsibility on the state level. 'We have a lot of tough challenges ahead. I've mentioned that we have PEIA that'll be coming up in the upcoming months,' said Morrisey. 'We've been diligently working on that and are starting to have conversations with the legislature. We want to get that right because we have to make sure that we help West Virginia reach her potential.' Several delegates have said they expect to be called in for a session to address PEIA specifically, and the governor says he hopes to address the issue in the coming months, though an official call for a Special Session of the legislature has yet to be made at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Morrisey says he'll call special session for PEIA
Gov. Patrick Morrisey held a press conference to discuss his first 100 days in office in Wheeling, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (West Virginia Office of the Gov. Patrick Morrisey | Courtesy photo) West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he plans to call a special legislative session to address the rising costs of state employee health insurance coverage. Speaking during a press conference Wednesday, Morrisey said he'd bring lawmakers back to Charleston to tackle issues including the Public Employees Insurance Agency. 'That's important. I thought that would be best for a special session, to be honest,' Morrisey said. 'Because you can bring everyone. You can focus it. It's a complicated issue. We want to get it right. 'That was kicked down the road for many, many years,' the governor said. 'I don't intend to kick it down the road. We have to bring everyone together, all the stakeholders: listen, learn and then you'll be seeing some activity.' Morrisey's news conference, which he held in Wheeling, marked his first 100 days in office. More than 200,000 state employees and thousands of local government workers rely on PEIA for their health insurance. Beginning in July, PEIA premiums are increasing by 14% for state employees and by 16% for local government employees. Out-of-pocket and copay costs are also increasing. The agency will also raise premiums by 12% for retirees. PEIA leaders have said that the rising cost of health care, particularly inflation for prescription GLP-1 drugs that treat obesity and diabetes, are a major driver of the rate increases. Following the regular session, union leaders reiterated calls that the program be stabilized. 'It's a good benefit. We need to keep it at a good benefit,' West Virginia ALF-CIO president Josh Sword told West Virginia Watch. 'We also know that public sector workers generally make less than those in the private sector, and one of the reasons that it's attractive, therefore, to work in the public sector is because you've generally had access to PEIA, which is a good health care benefit for the employee and their family. 'You take that away, or you destroy a pretty good benefit program so that it is not what it used to be, then you've lost that incentive to attract and retain qualified individuals in the public sector,' he said. This year's state budget included $64 million more in spending for PEIA than last year's budget. The appropriation is in line with the funding Morrisey level requested for the agency, according to a spokeswoman for the Senate. Senate president Randy Smith and House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw were not available for comment on Thursday. Senate communications director Jacque Bland said Smith would not be surprised by the governor's remarks indicating a special session, which Morrisey has talked about before. Ann Ali, communications director and deputy chief of staff for the House of Delegates, said Hanshaw's reaction would likely depend on what specific proposals the governor has. Morrisey did not outline any specific ideas for PEIA during his press conference Wednesday. 'Extraordinary sessions for various reasons have become commonplace, but Speaker Hanshaw's response when asked for potential reaction or feedback to any general proposal from the previous governor was usually that the House would have to see the bill(s) for how that proposal would be structured,' Ali said. House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said lawmakers need to go beyond allocating money to PEIA and consider structural changes. He said finding solutions should involve bringing various stakeholders together. 'We need to look at serious, what I would call long-term structural enhancements to the program to make sure that the promise that we made state workers many, many moons ago isn't eroded, and we follow through on that,' Hornbuckle said. 'That's very important to me, from a state perspective.' He added that he would have preferred that time during the regular session were dedicated to PEIA and not to vaccine exemption bills and legislation ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 'The priorities of the supermajority Republicans are not in line with everyday West Virginians,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These items were vetoed from West Virginia's 2026 budget
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed the state's budget for Fiscal Year 2026 Thursday night, and some things that were approved by congress didn't make the cut. In a press release Thursday night, Morrisey called the budget 'fiscally conservative' and applauded the West Virginia Legislature for passing a budget that 'closely resembles my original proposal and begins to address long term issues while funding West Virginia priorities.' Morrisey signs bill allowing teachers to remove students from class Here are the items that Morrisey chose to reduce or veto from the budget passed by the legislature. The listed dollar amount is how much money will be saved from the changes. Keep in mind that the following cuts are not to the amount previously given, but to the amounts approved by the West Virginia Legislature for Fiscal Year 2026. Funding for Willowbend Agricultural Innovation Center ($100,000) Funding for Mountwood Park ($300,000) Funding for Math Counts within MATH Program ($50,000) Funding for Green Acres Regional Center, Inc ($300,000) Funding for West Virginia College of Law ($250,000) Funding for LPN to BSN ($250,000) Funding for Directed Transfer – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($85,000,000) Funding for Current Expense – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($250,000) 2% reduction for Local Economic Assistance ($100,000) 10% reduction for Tourism – Industry Development ($300,000) 33% reduction for Martinsburg Berkeley Public Library ($500,000) 3% reduction for Safe Schools ($200,000) Within Safe Schools, 6% reduction in funding for school mapping ($200,000) 70% reduction for Computer Science Education ($1,400,000) 23% reduction for Mountain State Digital Literacy Program ($300,000) 60% reduction for Ronald McDonald House of Morgantown ($3,000,000) 9% reduction for In-Home Family Education ($100,000) 5% reduction for West Virginia State Police Trooper Class ($161,172) 73% reduction for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) ($800,000) 40% reduction for Federal Funds/Grant Match ($500,000) 1.6% reduction for Veterans Nursing Home ($187,650) 13.5% reduction for Tuition Contract Program ($208,000) 3.5% reduction for Maintenance related to State Road Funds ($25,000,000) 20% reduction for Direct Transfer – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($25,000,000) Morrisey did clarify in his press release that 'the budget fully funds Medicaid, senior services, and the HOPE scholarship.' He also said that 'In the case of a surplus, up to $100 million will be allocated to funding road maintenance and improvement projects across the state.' You can read Morrisey's full communication regarding the budget to Secretary of State Kris Warner here, which includes reasons for his vetoes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
West Virginia union leaders call on lawmakers to stabilize PEIA costs
Kristie Skidmore, president of the AFT-WV, and Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, speak during a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The union leaders are calling on lawmakers to stabilize the costs of PEIA. (Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch) Union leaders representing West Virginia's public workers on Wednesday once again called on lawmakers to come up with solutions to stabilize the rising costs of health care coverage for state employees. Representatives of six unions held a joint news conference at the state Culture Center in Charleston, just across the state Capitol Complex from where lawmakers are conducting business as part of the regular legislative session. 'We're asking the Legislature to do what the Legislature said they would do and what they're obligated to do, and to stabilize [the Public Employees Insurance Agency] for the public employees in the state of West Virginia,' said Joe White, executive director of the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association. 'Folks, PEIA is a benefit. It was promised to the public employees in the state of West Virginia,' he said. 'Pay your bills, pay for the insurance for the public employees that serve the great state of West Virginia.' In December 2024, the PEIA finance board approved premium increases for fiscal year 2026 of 14% for state employees and 16% for local local government employees in addition to out of pocket and copay increases. The fiscal year starts in July. The agency will also raise premiums by 12% for retirees. Agency officials have said that rising health care costs, particularly inflation for prescription GLP-1 drugs that treat obesity and diabetes, are a major driver of the rate increases. White illustrated the PEIA cost increases over the last few years using Harrison County as an example. One employee saw the costs of PEIA rise from $2,876 in 2023 to a projected $8,152 in 2026, not including increases in co-pays, prescription costs and deductibles, he said. While Gov. Patrick Morrisey called on lawmakers in his State of the State address to work with him on long and short-term solutions for PEIA, Josh Sword, president of the ALF-CIO, said he had not seen a budget bill with an amount of money for PEIA that would make the program right. 'I want to see, personally, and I think I can speak on behalf of the folks behind me, PEIA become a priority when it comes to budgeting,' Sword said. 'Both the governor's office and both chambers of the Legislature. If they do that, then I think we have a real opportunity to get to a place we all agree. Unless that happens, I have real concern.' During a budget hearing Wednesday morning, PEIA acting director Jason Haught echoed previous comments from former director Brian Cunningham that the inflation of prescription drugs costs are driving the cost increases for PEIA. Haught said the country needs to set a fixed rate for pharmaceuticals the way that hospital and physician services rates are fixed. '[Pharmaceutical] manufacturers get to set the list price of whatever amount they want, and there's no regulation on that list pricing,' he said. 'So I think that has produced some unsustainable cost trends to the healthcare marketplace.' The agency expects its costs to rise by 60% over the next five years, driven primarily by the cost of prescription drugs. The state's health is also a factor, he said. 'At the end of the day, if you don't want health care costs, you've got to have a healthy population,' Haught said. 'Unfortunately, we're sick and old. That does not translate to an easily solved health care cost in this state. That's your bottom line, I think. We need to get younger and we need to get healthier. That's going to reduce that trend.' So far, six bills concerning PEIA have been introduced in the House and three in the Senate. Proposals have included abolishing and privatizing the health insurance plan. Another bill would make PEIA into a health savings account. Elaine Harris, the international staff representative for district 213 of the Communications Workers of America, spoke against privatizing PEIA. 'Folks. That's not the answer,' she said. 'PEIA is not a for-profit plan. It is money in on premiums and the way that the agency makes all of the dollars work, and then it's money out, paying claims, paying for the high cost of drugs.' Harris said the state and the federal governments need to address the high costs of drugs. Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, said that this year there are more than 1,500 unfilled teaching positions across the state without a certified teacher. He predicted that the number of unfilled positions would increase in years to come, as teachers leave the state for better benefits and pay. 'I've heard Gov. Morrisey say that he wants to make our salaries competitive with other states,' he said. 'That is important, but just as important is to stabilize PEIA.' Union leaders asked state lawmakers to implement some of the policy recommendations that came from a 2018-2019 task force formed after the teachers strike. None of the recommendations 'ever saw the light of day,' Lee said. 'I'm calling upon everyone to get us back to the table,' Lee said. 'Let's come back to the table. There are things that we can do to help stabilize this plan, but the important part is we have to be at the table. That's what I'm asking that the Legislature, the governor, do. Bring us back, and let's figure out this plan in a way that makes sense.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House bill would end PEIA insurance for WV police, firefighters and teachers
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — A proposed bill in the West Virginia House of Delegates would abolish the state's PEIA insurance program for police officers, firefighters, teachers and other state employees in favor of healthcare contracts. House Bill 2623, which was introduced to the West Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday, would repeal §5-16-1 through §5-16-32, the entirety of the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) program. In its place, the amendment says insurance for state employees will be 'provided by contract,' which will be renewed or reviewed every four years. Charles R. Sheedy Sr. (R – Marshall, 007) is the lead sponsor of the bill and is joined by three other delegates, one of which is in north central West Virginia. Elias Coop-Gonzalez (R – Randolph, 067) Chuck Horst (R – Berkeley, 095) Dave Foggin (R – Wood, 014) 12 News asked Delegate Sheedy and the other representatives listed on the bill for clarification on what these contracts may contain and was provided with the following statement: 'Current PEIA will be abolished under this bill and be replaced by 'similar or better health care coverage and include eye and dental at no additional cost' in a four-year contract,' Sheedy wrote in an email. 'This will be all state employees and retirees to gain a very large bargaining [tool] with which to obtain a lower cost. This will also allow budgeting for the state, employees and retirees.' Bill to remove abortion exemptions for rape, incest introduced for second time in West Virginia legislative session The selection criteria for health contracts or who will be in charge of selecting and negotiating health contracts on behalf of state employees is unknown at this time. 12 News did ask Sheedy for additional details but has not received a response at the time of publishing this article. You can read the full bill below, or read the amendment online on the West Virginia Legislature's website. hb2623-intrDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
