CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gains in coverage for Medicaid-eligible West Virginians have resulted in a reduction in charity care and boost in revenue for area hospitals this year, but the long-term effects of the Affordable Care Act could mean overall losses for many hospitals, according to local officials.

Larry Hudson, the chief financial officer for the Charleston Area Medical Center Health System, said the hospitals have seen a decrease in the number of self-payers since January, and the total percentage of charity care and bad debts at the hospitals has dropped from 5.2 percent of patients to about 1.2 percent. In the same time frame, the percentage of Medicaid patients seen at CAMC has increased from 18 to 23 percent — a four percent shift from one arena to the other.

That shift has resulted in a $12 million increase in revenue for the CAMC Health System between January and July…