Health Story Archives - Page 3 of 21 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

PEIA Finance Board Decides On Straight Premium Increases

The Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) finance board voted Thursday in favor of straight premium increases. The board’s decision follows four public hearings on changes to PEIA and comes after the idea of adopting two blended approaches was rejected.

The Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) finance board voted Thursday in favor of straight premium increases.

The board’s decision follows four public hearings on changes to PEIA and comes after the idea of adopting two blended approaches was rejected.

Those plans would have resulted in lower premiums but higher deductibles, out-of-pocket and prescription costs.

Under the new plan, state employees and educators will see a nearly 24 percent increase in premiums, effective July 1. The change reflects a return to the 80/20 employer/employee premium split.

Employees insured by local government agencies that opt into PEIA can expect premium increases of 15.6 percent.

A monthly surcharge of between $140 and $150 will apply to spouses of active policyholders who opt into PEIA. The cost will vary based on the plan’s tier levels.

Also effective July 1, reimbursement to providers will increase to a minimum of 110 percent of Medicare’s reimbursement.

The changes to PEIA follow legislative efforts to rescue the insurance carrier from fiscal insolvency and more recently, the announcement by Wheeling Hospital that it would no longer accept the insurance carrier.

For more information on the new PEIA plan, visit peia.wv.gov.

Teaching Healthy Habits And W.Va. Chefs Nominated For Award On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, more than a decade ago, Huntington made headlines as the “fattest city in the nation.” We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay Kay, where we look at continuing efforts to teach healthy habits in West Virginia.

On this West Virginia Morning, more than a decade ago, Huntington made headlines as the “fattest city in the nation.” We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay Kay, where we look at continuing efforts to teach healthy habits in West Virginia.

Listen to the full episode of Us & Them Thursday at 8 p.m. or an encore broadcast on Saturday, March 25 at 3 p.m.

Also, in this show, two West Virginia chefs are in the running for one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world. Randy Yohe spoke with Charleston Chef Paul Smith, who says it’s a humbling honor just to be nominated.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Senate Moves Health Bills in Saturday Morning Session

After a late night lawmaking session Friday, the Senate was quick to action Saturday morning, the final day of the 2023 Regular Legislative Session. With so many bills surrounding the health of West Virginia being passed from chamber to chamber, and committee to committee, there are a lot of loose ends to tie up.

SB 187 – Sexual contact between students and teachers

The Senate refused to concur on the House of Delegates’ amendments to a bill to ban sexual contact from school staff regardless of age.

Senate Bill 187 would make it a felony offense for a school employee or volunteer to engage in sexual contact with students.

On Saturday, the Senate refused to concur with the House’s amendments to Senate Bill 187.

“The Senate version of this bill prohibits primary and secondary school employees from being sexually intimate with students regardless of age,” Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, said. “The House version eliminates elementary schools, adds colleges and caps the student age at 20. I urge the House to recede.”

The bill now returns to the House of Delegates.

SB 559 – Relating to Spousal Privilege

A measure of protection for children that has been shuffled throughout legislation this session is Senate Bill 559.

As originally presented, the bill expanded the exceptions to spousal privilege of not being compelled to testify against a spouse to exclude cases in which the offense at issue was committed against any child rather than a child of one or both spouses.

The Senate rejected the House’s amendments and proposed their own.

“The House amended to add a number of new exceptions to spousal privilege,” Takubo, R-Kanawha, said. “The proposed Senate amendment limits the exception of spousal privilege in instances where a spouse commits an offense against a minor.”

The amendment adopted by the Senate with 33 yeas, 0 nays. The bill now goes to the House for their concurrence.

SB 577 – Insulin Co-Pay Cost Reduction Heads to Governor’s Desk

Senate Bill 577 aims to reduce the co-pay cap on insulin and related treatment devices and permit the purchase of testing equipment without a prescription.

On the last day of the 2023 session, the Senate accepted the bill’s House amendments and passed the bill.

“To limit cost sharing to 35 per 30 day supplies of insulin,” said Takubo. The amendment changes the effective date and makes technical changes.

The bill passed both chambers and will take effect Jan. 1, 2024.

SB 273 – Reallocating CPS workers by population

After passing technical amendments, the Senate passed Senate Bill 273, to allocate child protective service workers in counties according to the average caseload per county and the county population based on the 2020 Census.

The bill now goes to the House for their concurrence.

Roads, Bridges And The State’s First ‘Dementia Friendly’ Town On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, it’s Dementia Friendly Day in St. Albans. The Kanawha County town is the first location in the state that has been recognized as being dementia friendly. For his special radio series, “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents,” News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Walter Hall, the vice mayor of St. Albans, and one of the founders of the Dementia Friendly program, to find out what it’s all about.

On this West Virginia Morning, it’s Dementia Friendly Day in St. Albans. The Kanawha County town is the first location in the state that has been recognized as being dementia friendly.

For his special radio series, “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents,” News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Walter Hall, the vice mayor of St. Albans, and one of the founders of the Dementia Friendly program, to find out what it’s all about.

Also, in this show, between the Roads to Prosperity and the federal infrastructure law, there is a lot going on when it comes to roads and bridges. In our latest episode of The Legislature Today, Curtis Tate spoke with state Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston and Sen. Charles Clements, R-Wetzel, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to discuss the state’s progress.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Health Legislation And Ending Book Deserts On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, book deserts are places without nearby libraries or bookstores, which can be very hard for children just learning to read. Morgantown High School senior Rania Zuri is trying to fight that and bring books to kids in West Virginia. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with her.

On this West Virginia Morning, book deserts are places without nearby libraries or bookstores, which can be very hard for children just learning to read. Morgantown High School senior Rania Zuri is trying to fight that and bring books to kids in West Virginia. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with her.

Also, in this show, a number of health-related issues have been on the table this legislative session — from gender-affirming care, to PEIA coverage and even foster care splitting up DHHR. For our Friday reporter roundtable on The Legislature Today, Chris Schulz spoke with WVPB’s Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice and Allen Siegler from Mountain State Spotlight.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Health Centers Receive Millions To Bolster Services

Health care services in West Virginia will receive $3.4 million to strengthen services.

In a joint press release, Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito announced the funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The money will be divided among the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, the Tug River Health Association and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

“Our healthcare providers continue to go above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians, and we must ensure they have the resources they need to support healthy, safe communities,” Manchin said. “I’m pleased HHS is investing more than $3.4 million to strengthen job training services and technical assistance projects at the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers and the Tug River Health Association, as well as enhance maternal and child health services throughout the state. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to ensure quality, affordable health services for every West Virginian across the Mountain State.”

The HHS Maternal and Child Health Improvement Projects Program awarded $21,100 to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to support maternal and child health services throughout the Mountain State.

This program provides funding to states and non-profit organizations across the U.S. to help provide critical services, including parental education, pregnancy support and home visit resources.

The HHS Health Center Cluster Program awarded $1,749,862 to the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers and $1,664,105 to the Tug River Health Association to strengthen job training and technical assistance projects.

“This vital funding empowers health care workers across West Virginia to continue and improve their services across the state,” Capito said. “HHS’s multi-million dollar investment will improve the Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, Tug River Health Association and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to educate workers and help new parents get access to what they need. I look forward to seeing the opportunities this funding offers our state.”