Impending Medicaid cuts plunge West Virginians into affordable health care uncertainty

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill cuts federal Medicaid funding by 15% and could leave more than 50,000 West Virginians without Medicaid coverage, according to one national estimate.

“There just isn't anything for me other than Medicaid because of my complex chronic illness. So if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be able to get the health care I need,” 50-year-old Phoebe Durst said.

Durst, a two-time cancer survivor, uses Medicaid to help cover expensive healthcare services but fears that the impending cuts would make it difficult for her to receive affordable health care.

“The shots that I get in my eyes to keep the blood vessel growth at bay are in excess of $1,000 a piece,” Durst said. “Just my prescription drug, the list of things that I take because I'm a cancer survivor, because I have all this other systemic disease, that's a result of being in cancer treatment for the last 10 years. There's no way that I could afford my prescription drugs alone without Medicaid coverage.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid provides health care services to about 96 million people at $894 billion in 2023, with the federal government paying $614 billion of that total, according to congress.gov. 

“Medicaid is an absolutely critical part of our healthcare system and provides essential health care coverage for those with lower incomes,” President and Chief Executive Officer of disability rights advocacy organization, Disability Belongs, Arielle Sims said.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about a third of disabled adults rely on Medicaid as their primary health insurer. 

“So there's even more significance for the disability community in particular,” she said. “Medicaid really acts as a safety net and provides stable access to health care for anyone who needs it.”

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an average of 534,800 people, or 30.2%, were enrolled in Medicaid in West Virginia in 2024. About 26.2%, or 88.8 million people, were enrolled across the country, but cuts to Medicaid mean those numbers are likely to decrease as fewer people are eligible for coverage.  

“It's going to be potentially widespread,” said Steve Davis, a professor in the department of health policy management and leadership at West Virginia University. “You will see less utilization of health care services because people no longer have insurance. So less utilization, less access to health care and more sickness, morbidity and potentially even mortality. And that is more costly for us all.”

Durst noted that people living with disabilities, senior citizens and people with chronic illnesses, particularly those living in rural areas, would be the ones most affected by the cuts.

“If those clinics in the rural areas close because Medicaid funding gets closed as they rely on that funding, extra grants to keep them going, people are not going to be able to access care,” Durst said.

As the most severe effects of the impending cuts become apparent, some West Virginia residents have expressed concern about the future state of accessible health care.

Jade Bryan, a master's student at WVU who has scoliosis and polycystic fibrosis, noted that it was through her parents' insurance that she’s been able to afford health care and treatment in West Virginia. 

“When I heard that Medicaid was gonna have cuts in funding, I was scared that I was going to lose my insurance coverage and not be able to afford my treatments and prescriptions,” she said.

As the state government is gearing up for the cuts, Sims believes that advocacy is one of the ways the state can move toward accessible and affordable health care, especially for vulnerable populations

“I think advocacy is going to be more important than ever. And that's something that Disability Belongs is continuing to do every single day,” Sims said. “But we're also going to need to see engagement across stakeholders. So we certainly need the policymakers to hopefully affect something more at the federal level and maybe pull back parts of this law.”

While Sims emphasizes advocacy, Bryan believes the government should give people more grace, as these new health care policies can’t favor those who can’t afford expensive health care.

 “I believe if they don't give these vulnerable Americans a grace period, this could drastically affect their health negatively. Many people are dependent on treatments that they can only get with Medicaid's coverage,” she said.

When talking about the future of the West Virginian rural health care system after the cuts, Davis said that clinics or hospitals in remote or rural areas are going to find it difficult to stay afloat. 

“That's certainly a concern, though it’s speculation for now. However, we may see fewer points of access, especially in remote or rural communities,” Davis said. “We may see individuals who have to drive longer distances for care. That can be very problematic for time-sensitive conditions like stroke, or even a heart attack, or anything that needs to be treated immediately.”

Like Sims, Davis suggested that health policy organizations should lobby Congress, especially the Senate and the House, to consider reversing the cuts, given the impact they will have on individuals and their families.