CHARLESTON, W.Va. - With the legislative session over, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is expected to announce whether the state will expand Medicaid as offered under Obamacare. Advocates say expansion would not be hard on West Virginia's state budget. The federal government would pay the full cost of expansion for three years and no less than 90 percent after that. Critics have warned the feds might not keep that promise, leaving the state on the hook.

However, Perry Bryant, executive director, West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare, said the White House fought to protect the program's funding in the recent budget battles.

"I think it shows you the commitment that President Obama is making to Medicaid, to make sure the governors know that as long as he's president the contribution that they've made to states in the Affordable Care Act is going to be upheld," he said.

The state budget will actually benefit from the economic activity sparked by $700 million in new federal Medicaid money, Bryant said. They estimate the new funding will mean 6,200 additional jobs by 2016, he added, and that will filter through to new revenue for the state, offsetting some of what expansion will cost.

"More nurses, more doctors," Bryant said. "They go to restaurants. They buy cars. All that generates economic activity. Clearly it will offset. Whether it will totally compensate for it or not, we don't know. "

One option being considered in Arkansas would give the new Medicaid patients vouchers to buy private insurance in the newly open insurance exchange. That would increase the reimbursement rates for doctors, Bryant said, meaning more providers would accept Medicaid, but it could cost the state more to cover the same patients, he warned.

"Increase reimbursements, you provide them the same benefits, you need to pay these insurance companies for providing those services," he said. "How you end up making that budget neutral, I just don't know."

Expanding Medicaid up to one and one-third times the poverty line would cover more than 100,000 low-income West Virginians. Critics have most often cited budget issues as their chief reservation.


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Ohio's teachers are applauding the governor's recently announced plan to overhaul the state's reading curriculum for elementary schoolers and boost resources for districts.

In his State of the State address this week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also said he's directing resources to improve child well-being and mental health.

Ohio Education Association president Scott DiMauro said he supports a plan that helps kids succeed, but he also hopes the state Legislature will take a hard look at some of the education policies teachers believe are detrimental.

"And at the very top of that list," he said, "is repealing a provision currently in law that requires that students be retained if they don't pass a single test on a single day when it comes to the third-grade reading test."

The governor's plan provides funding to public, STEM and charter schools to pay for curriculum based on the Science of Reading, and for professional development for teachers who need it. Slightly more than one-third of all Ohio students are reading proficiently at their grade level, according to data from the Ohio Research Education Center.

DiMauro said schools are facing a crisis recruiting and retaining quality educators from diverse backgrounds. He said the Fair School Funding Plan - based on the actual cost of educating a child and developed in part by educators and school administrators - could help the state address the issue.

"Having a funding system that is based on the actual cost of providing a high-quality education to every student," he said, "and a formula that's updated to reflect the most recent information on what districts are spending in those areas."

Ninety percent of Ohio students attend public schools. The state spent more than $10 billion on primary and secondary education in 2021, and slightly more in 2022, according to state Department of Education data.

This story was produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

West Virginia lawmakers are clamping down on corporations trying boost environmentally and socially responsible investing. A new report by EcoConsult Solutions finds their actions will likely cost taxpayers at least $9-million, and perhaps as much as $29-million dollars annually. Senate Bill 262, passed last year, restricts the state from investing in companies deemed to be energy boycotters. Among those boycotted include BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Jim Kotcon, chair of the West Virginia Sierra Club, said restricting long-term financial investments in the form of bonds could end up costing residents and taxpayers by reducing the amount of money the state has for public services and programs.

"This appears to be an effort by the state government to help bail out the coal industry and to deny the real cost of climate change on West Virginia citizens," Kotcon said.

More than two dozen states are suing the federal government over a U.S. Department of Labor rule change on environmental, social and governance, or ESG, in workplace retirement accounts. The rule allows 401(k) providers to consider climate change and other issues when making investments.

Kotcon said environmental groups believe state investment funds should take into consideration environmental and social factors, especially since West Virginia communities are struggling to cope with increased flooding and extreme weather events driven by climate change.

"It has become sort of an extremist initiative," he said, "trying to penalize financial institutions that are attempting to do the right thing."

More than a dozen states so far have passed or have pending bills that would pull state funds from investments deemed to be adverse to the oil and gas industry, according to the report.

A Minnesota House committee heard testimony Thursday about the governor's proposed spending plan for education. As these talks unfold, public polling indicates voters want to see more dollars go toward improving public schools.

Gov. Tim Walz's plan calls for boosting the general education funding formula over the next two years and tying it to inflation, while adding more staff such as counselors and social workers.

State Education Commissioner Willie Jett touted the overall proposal during the committee meeting.

"We must never lose sight of the fact that a well-supported educator workforce is fundamental and critical to the survival of our schools, and the well-being and academic success of our students," he said.

Nationally, a new American Federation of Teachers poll found 66% of voters think the government spends too little on education, and nearly 70% want to see more funding. The governor's plan closely aligns with education priorities among legislative Democrats. Republicans, who are in the minority this session, have voiced concerns that too much surplus money would go to underperforming schools.

Minnesota is also looking at boosting unemployment insurance aid to include hourly school workers when they struggle to stay employed over the summer. Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, said it's encouraging to see more conversation about helping support staff.

"If your district is like my district," she said, "you're hearing a lot about the staffing shortages, about the need for 'paras' - I hear a lot about that from parents and teachers - about the bus driver shortage."

By "paras," she meant paraprofessionals who help in clasrrooms.

In the AFT poll, teacher shortages and unsafe campus environments were listed as among the most serious problems at schools. The survey was conducted in late December and included input from 1,500 registered voters nationwide.