Health Care in The Mountain State

Legislative leaders have enlisted a Emory University health policy professor to help them draft a "'road map’ within a year that they hope will provide basic coverage to all West Virginians," The Associated Press reports.

"To design the plan, they’re creating four working groups with members ranging from doctors to labor union officials," AP's Tom Breen explains. "The groups will tackle the costs associated with treating chronic health problems like diabetes or heart disease, wellness and prevention, cost cutting and technology."

As for the current terrain, "state and federal plans like Medicaid and Medicare already provide health insurance coverage for roughly half of West Virginia’s 1.8 million residents, with roughly 700,000 covered by private plans and the rest without insurance," the AP article said.

Lawmakers also promised that this approach "won’t result in the creation of a new agency or major program, or require the expenditure of huge sums," Breen reported.

The Charleston Gazette, MetroNews and The Register-Herald of Beckley also covered Monday's announcement.