2020 WV Governor's race: on Health Care
Woody Thrasher:
AdWatch: Be proactive on coronavirus, not reactive
Thrasher's ad offers ideas, including increasing unemployment benefits, bridge loans for small businesses, and deferment of mortgage payments. "We're all dealing with this coronavirus. It's certainly creating hardships, and I believe those
hardships might get greater before they get better," Thrasher said in the ad. "I also think it's a time where West Virginia needs to be proactive in terms of its reaction to this crisis, not reactive the way we have been so many other times."
Source: Weirton Daily Times AdWatch:2020 West Virginia governor race
Mar 29, 2020
Ron Stollings:
Supports bill to cap monthly supply of insulin at $25
Stollings supported a bill that would put a $25 cap on a monthly supply of insulin. Currently some West Virginians can end up paying thousands of dollars a month for the drug. He also told WSAZ that the drug is necessary for type 1 diabetics, saying if
they don't have access to the drug they can die. Stollings says he fears if it does not move soon, it will die there. "The key is to get it on the agenda. If we can't get it on the agenda, it's dead and that's sad," Stollings said.
Source: WSAZ TV-3 on 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial race
Mar 2, 2020
Ron Stollings:
Coronavirus: $2m to prepare a plan now
Stollings, a doctor who is also running for governor, is looking for $2 million to help West Virginia's preparation for a possible coronavirus outbreak. "Where it comes from is not important," said
Stollings. "It's just that we get some money, even if it's the rainy day fund." "I think it's really important for us to allocate this $2 million so we can get ahead of this coronavirus," he said. "We need to do something now. We need a plan now."
Two million dollars is a conservative amount, Stollings said in an interview prior to the Senate floor session. "We absolutely need to be thinking and planning for this coronavirus," he said. "It's a virus that's going to get out into the public.
We can't stop it. There's no treatment for it. There's no vaccination for it. So mostly what we have to do is have a statewide plan and excellent communication system between all the health departments."
Source: W.V. MetroNews on 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial race
Feb 28, 2020
Ron Stollings:
Re-examine Medicaid reimbursement rates to medical providers
The state Senate quickly considered and passed Gov. Jim Justice's proposal to take $150 million out of current Medicaid funds to create a trust fund. Stollings asked whether the bill does anything to increase the reimbursement rates to medical
providers for government insurance. The bill does not. Stollings, a doctor who is running for governor, has said those reimbursement rates need re-examination as hospitals all over the state struggle financially.
Source: W.V. MetroNews on 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial race
Feb 25, 2020
Ron Stollings:
Invest in more mental health services & foster care crisis
Stollings said he wants to see more financial support of foster and kinship caregivers. West Virginia also needs to invest in more mental health services, which can help the foster care crisis by enabling more parents to be healthy enough to parent,
Stollings said. "These people with these diseases, particularly bipolar disorder, they aren't going to be good parents unless their disease state is in treatment," he said.
Source: Herald-Dispatch on 2020 West Virginia Gubernatorial race
Jan 8, 2020
Ron Stollings:
Affordable health care should include oral and mental health
We need to make sure West Virginians have access to
quality, affordable health care, including oral health and mental health care.
Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail on 2020 West Virginia Governor race
Dec 23, 2019
Michael Folk:
Abolish "Certificate of Need" law as anti-competitive
Reduce Healthcare Costs by abolishing the Certificate of Need (CON) law passed in 1977 that prevents competition! One cause for
WV's high inflation rate in healthcare services is directly related to anti-competitive policies that result from laws in West Virginia and 34 other states that are known as Certificate of Need (CON).
Source: 2020 West Virginia Governor campaign website Folk4WV.com
Dec 16, 2019
Michael Folk:
We need a free market in health care
Folk said an issue is a lack of free market in health care in West Virginia. "We don't have a free market in West Virginia because of the Certificate of Need," Folk said. "I put a bill in to abolish it or greatly reduce the Certificate of Need.
There is a guy who works doing imaging in Ohio, the cost is $50. When he works in West Virginia, he has to work through a hospital and the cost is $500 to $800 for the same thing. If you want to get people into the state, one of the things
needed is lower health care costs."According to the West Virginia Health Care Authority's website, in West Virginia, all health care providers, unless exempt, are required to secure a
Certificate of Need prior to adding or expanding health care services, exceeding a certain capital expenditure threshold, purchasing major medical equipment or building or acquiring new health care facilities.
Source: MyBuckhannon.com on 2020 West Virginia Governor debate
Aug 27, 2019
Page last updated: Dec 19, 2020
Beshear(D)
vs.