WV Press News Sharing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Delegate Charlie Reynolds, Marshall County, who serves as
vice-chair of the House Committee on Workforce Development, has requested that Governor Jim Justice work to resolve the PEIA health insurance situation with Wheeling Hospital.
In a letter Friday that was also released to the media, Delegate Reynolds, who represents the 6th District, requested that Governor Justice immediately coordinate and participate in a meeting to resolve the reimbursement issues that prompted Wheeling Hospital to decide it will no longer accept West Virginia Public Employees Insurance (PEIA).
West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair, speaking Friday at the WV Press Association’s Legislative LookAhead, said Wheeling Hospital is just to the first hospital to refuse PEIA insurance, stating there will be others around the state. Blair said the West Virginia Legislature, which starts its 2023 session next week, will work on the issue.
Delegate Reynolds’ letter reads as follows;
“…As you know, Jim Kaufman, President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospitals Association, recently announced that Wheeling Hospital will no longer accept West Virginia Public Employees Insurance (PEIA) effective July 1, 2023.
As you are clearly aware, PEIA is the largest health insurance provider in our state. Additionally, WVU Medicine’s Wheeling Hospital is an integral trauma hospital servicing the northern panhandle of our state. In fact, it is the only Level III trauma hospital located in the northern panhandle.
It’s clear that the issues outlined in this letter need resolved immediately. My constituents, and the residents of the entire northern panhandle, are being severely harmed by this decision as an extraordinarily high percentage of my constituents rely on PEIA and WVU Medicine for their healthcare needs. The taxpayers of West Virginia are getting the short end of the stick because two state-funded entities are at odds with each other.
Governor Justice, at the end of the day, no matter how complex the are, om mutual constituents are losing substantial access to healthcare. Quite simply, this is government at its worst and my constituents deserve better. These issues need addressed immediately. Accordingly, I am requesting that yom office immediately coordinate and participate in a meeting involving all interested parties, and myself to address and resolve these very important issues. I look forward to working with everyone as we resolve these issues as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
Del. Charlie Reynolds, 6th District
Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Workforce Development
