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NEWS BRIEFS
Website calculates Medicaid eligibility
HUNTINGTON -- A new website will allow West Virginians to discover if they would quality for coverage under a proposed expansion of the Medicaid program.
At www.medicaidexpansionwv.org, individuals can input their family size and income to determine potential eligibility. The website also allows visitors to write a personal letter to West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin advocating for Medicaid expansion.
To date, Tomblin has not accepted the money Congress has set aside to cover the cost of the Medicaid expansion. If Medicaid expansion is approved the income eligibility would increase from $6,000 a year for a single mother with two children to just below $27,000 a year. It is estimated an additional 120,000 West Virginians would qualify for coverage under the proposed expansion.
"Expanding Medicaid will give thousands of West Virginians the health and financial security they deserve," said Perry Bryant, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care. "The vast majority of the newly eligible West Virginians work, but their employer cannot afford to provide health insurance coverage. Many people still don't know how it will affect them, so that's why we created this website. It gives all West Virginians a chance to be educated and heard on this important issue."
