The Big Budget Bill’s Impact on West Virginia’s Health System: More West Virginia Residents Uninsured, Higher Health Care Costs, and More Consequences of the Many Cuts to Care - Families USA Skip to Main Content
06.25.2025 / Press Release

The Big Budget Bill’s Impact on West Virginia’s Health System: More West Virginia Residents Uninsured, Higher Health Care Costs, and More Consequences of the Many Cuts to Care

New Families USA Analysis Details How Steep Cuts Will Hurt West Virginia Residents

CHARLESTON, WV – A new fact sheet from Families USA details how the pending budget bill, set to be voted on by the Senate in the next week or so, will harm West Virginia’s health system, including cutting off coverage for at least 69,000 West Virginians, making it harder for people to get and maintain coverage, and taking away crucial patient protections for children. The bill also drives up costs for those buying insurance through the Marketplace, skyrocketing premiums and increasing out-of-pocket costs while taking away crucial premium tax credits.

“The cuts to Medicaid and the ACA will have devastating and dramatic impacts on health coverage, care, and costs for American families, and in many ways especially in West Virginia. The cuts will not just mean that tens of thousands of West Virginia residents lose coverage, but federal cuts will force state budgets into crisis, forcing states to drastically scale back services, leading to closures of rural hospitals and community clinics,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA. “Senators Capito and Justice must stand up to the billionaires who want more tax cuts and side with patients and health providers and plans who oppose this bill that harms access and affordability of health care for so many West Virginia working families.”

“West Virginians deserve a budget that puts the health and well-being of its people first,” said Rhonda Rogombe, health and safety net policy analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. “Congress should be investing in health care — not undermining it. But the proposal in front of our senators prioritizes steep cuts and offers tax breaks for the wealthy at a time when families are struggling to meet their most basic needs. This budget is cutting back on the very services that help our communities survive and thrive, and must be opposed.”

“Every West Virginian deserves the security of knowing they can get the care they need without going broke,” said Ellen Allen, executive director at West Virginians for Affordable Health Care. “But this budget proposal slashes critical programs and sidelines the very policies that support our families, our seniors and our communities. It sends a clear message that the well-being of everyday people takes a back seat to tax cuts for the wealthy. West Virginians need a budget that invests in their health — not one that undermines it.”

The proposed cuts are in opposition with the voters when 82% of adults nationwide — including 67% of Republicans want Congress to maintain or increase Medicaid spending.

The West Virginia Medicaid program covers over 500,000 children and adults, including:

  • 1 in 3 West Virginia residents.
  • 196,000 children — 56% of all children in West Virginia.
  • 135,000 seniors and people with disabilities.

Marketplace coverage, available for individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid but also do not have employer sponsored coverage, serves:

  • 64,818 West Virginia residents.
  • 2,7000 small business owners in West Virginia and 4,200 self-employed West Virginia residents.
  • About 98% of enrollees in the state who received an advanced premium tax credit to help them pay their premium.

Families USA, the longtime health consumer advocate, is organizing with groups in West Virginia and across the nation to protect against care cuts that would force Americans to face increased costs and the loss of health coverage. The Families USA website has a plethora of materials on how its partners are working to defend Medicaid, and has facts sheets on the overall importance of Medicaid to people, the economy, and the health care system, how work reporting requirements would undermine access to Medicaid, and how cuts harm families and communities.