News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Law blocks Planned Parenthood from Medicaid dollars, one third of WV patients affected

Published

2 months ago

July 24, 2025

westvirginiawatch.com – Lori Kersey – 2025-07-23 05:00:00

by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
July 23, 2025

A Republican bill that temporarily restricts Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood will affect about one third of patients at its only West Virginia clinic, according to officials with the organization.

The clinic — located in Vienna in Wood County — doesn’t offer abortion and hasn’t since long before West Virginia lawmakers mostly outlawed the procedure in 2022.

Patients — a third of whom are on Medicaid — come to the clinic for birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, among other health services, said Anne Logan Bass, clinical director of family planning for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month prohibits Medicaid from being used at Planned Parenthood, even for preventive health care, for one year. The organization is the country’s top abortion provider, performing more than 400,000 in 2024, according to its annual report.

“We are devastated for our patients,” Bass said of the Medicaid prohibition. “It’s a really harmful law that’s preventing our patients from going to where they want to receive care. We are committed to maintaining access for care for as long as we can.”

The law targets abortion providers who made more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023.

A spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Human Services, which oversees Medicaid, said the department is aware the law will affect the Vienna Planned Parenthood clinic and is seeking further clarification from the federal Centers for Medicare and Services about other clinics in the state that may be affected. The state expects further guidance once the legal process is over, Angelica Hightower, communications specialist for DHS, wrote in an email to West Virginia Watch.

The Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, located in Charleston, performed abortions until the state passed an abortion ban and is associated with the Women’s Health Center of Maryland, which still does. A spokeswoman for the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia said the law will not prohibit it from accepting Medicaid patients.

The Medicaid prohibitions for Planned Parenthood took effect immediately after Trump signed the legislation into law. The national organization filed a lawsuit challenging the law. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston granted a temporary restraining order that kept the law from being effective for 14 days.

After a hearing Friday, the judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking the government for now from cutting Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood agencies that either don’t provide abortion care or that don’t have at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements per year, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which manages the West Virginia clinic, does not fall into the category of those that will keep receiving Medicaid funding, said Julia Walker, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic manages a total of 14 clinics in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Collectively, 13% of the patients of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic are Medicaid recipients, she said.

Planned Parenthood may close up to 200 clinics across the country because of the Medicaid prohibition. Bass said there are no current plans to close any of the clinics in the South Atlantic region.

West Virginia’s entire congressional delegation, all Republicans, voted for the budget reconciliation bill. In a statement after the vote, Rep. Riley Moore praised the legislation, saying it “fully defunds Planned Parenthood.” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito posted about her support of defunding Planned Parenthood on the social media platform X, reposting Wall Street Journal opinion writer Matthew Hennessy who said “The defunding of abortion giant Planned Parenthood is the most beautiful thing in the GOP megabill.”

“Couldn’t have said it better, @MattHennessey,” she wrote.

Bass said she worries about Medicaid patients at the Vienna clinic and elsewhere.

She recalled a patient she met while working in the Vienna clinic about six months ago. The patient, who is on Medicaid, told Bass she doesn’t see any other health care providers besides the ones at Planned Parenthood.

“That patient’s been coming here forever, since she was like 18 and coming to Planned Parenthood as her quote, ‘only doctor,’ Bass said. “I just really worry about what’s going to happen to these patients, where they’re going to receive care.”

She said the law is an example of Americans losing their freedoms.

“You should have the freedom to decide what’s best for you, not the government,” Bass said. “… It’s true that Americans are losing their freedoms, and this law is just one example.”

While the provision of the law is in effect, Planned Parenthood is still reviewing the judge’s order, Walker said.

“While we do that, we are still seeing patients like normal — nothing has changed for our patients in West Virginia,” she said.

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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Law blocks Planned Parenthood from Medicaid dollars, one third of WV patients affected appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents facts about a Republican-backed Medicaid restriction affecting Planned Parenthood in West Virginia, highlighting the negative impact on patients who rely on non-abortion health services. The inclusion of direct quotes from Planned Parenthood officials expressing concern and framing the law as harmful, along with the coverage of legal challenges, gives the piece a critical tone toward the Republican bill. While it reports statements from Republican lawmakers supporting the legislation, the overall framing and emphasis on patient hardship suggest a perspective sympathetic to Planned Parenthood and critical of the policy, consistent with a center-left bias.

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News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Black lung cases continue to rise while preventative measures stall out

Published

3 days ago

September 8, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WCHS Eyewitness News – 2025-09-08 19:00:22

SUMMARY: Black lung cases continue to rise while preventative measures stall out. Despite the 2024 silica rule aimed at reducing miners’ exposure to harmful silica dust, enforcement has been delayed multiple times due to legal challenges. This delay endangers miners, as black lung disease cases increase, with younger patients showing advanced symptoms. Occupational health experts and retired miners emphasize the urgent need for regulation and monitoring, citing decades of known risks since the 1930s. Budget cuts to safety programs worsen the situation. Advocates stress prioritizing miners’ health over profits, hoping for a future where miners can work safely and live fully.

While cases continue to go up, the medical community is also seeing another troubling trend that black lung is affecting miners at a young age in more significant ways due to more silica exposure from smaller coal seams.

FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/local/as-black-lung-cases-continue-to-climb-silica-rule-delay-leaves-miners-vulnerable
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News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

Protesters in D.C. flood the streets demanding an end to Trump’s military deployment

Published

4 days ago

September 8, 2025

Staff Editor

westvirginiawatch.com – Ashley Murray – 2025-09-08 09:29:00

by Ashley Murray, West Virginia Watch
September 8, 2025

WASHINGTON — Thousands marched in Washington, D.C., Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s continued deployment of National Guard troops and the increased federal law enforcement on the streets of the nation’s capital.

The large demonstration, dubbed by organizers as the “We Are All DC” march, trailed down the district’s 16th Street NW toward the White House and came after several days of Trump’s heightened threats to send National Guard troops to Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans and other Democratic-led cities.

The district’s Democratic attorney general sued the Trump administration Thursday arguing the ongoing presence of National Guard troops amounts to illegal military occupation.

Gail Hansen, 71, of Washington, D.C., joined the “We Are All DC” march Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in the District of Columbia. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Guard members from the District of Columbia and seven states had already been deployed in Washington as of this week when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday he would add 300 soldiers and 16 support staff, becoming the eighth state to send troops.

On Friday, Trump added Portland, Oregon, to the list of cities where he wants to deploy the Guard.

Demonstrators carried signs bearing the message “End the Occupation,” “Free DC” and “Get the ICE Out,” in reference to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the district.

Marchers walked down H Street NW in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 6, 2025 during the “We Are All DC” demonstration . (Video by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Dozens of organizations participated in the march, including labor unions, faith-based organizations, immigration advocates, the League of Women Voters D.C. chapter and the D.C. Democratic Party.

Gail Hansen, 71, of Washington, D.C., said she wants to see a decreased ICE presence.

“I believe in freedom, and I think we’ve all gotta let everybody know that what’s happening on our streets is unacceptable,” Hansen told States Newsroom. “ICE needs to go home. The National Guard needs to go home. FBI needs to get out of our streets. We are doing just fine in D.C.”

Charlotte Stone, 18, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, held a cardboard sign above her head depicting a caricature of Trump with a Hitler mustache and a message that read “Ignoring it is what the Germans did.”

Charlotte Stone, 18, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the “We Are All DC” march Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in the District of Columbia. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

“I’m disgusted with this country, I’m here with my friends, and we’re freshmen at George Washington University, and we’re disgusted. We need to do something about it,” Stone told States Newsroom.

The Washington Metropolitan Police Department released statistics Tuesday claiming overall crime had decreased by 8% in the district over the previous seven days.

Protesters carry Banksy-style banner depicting a man throwing a sandwich as a nod to former Justice Department employee Sean Dunn, who threw a Subway hoagie at federal agents on Aug. 10 at 14th & U St NW in Washington, D.C. The marchers were part of the “We Are All DC” demonstration on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Video by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Trump’s 30-day emergency to federalize law enforcement in D.C. ends Sept. 10. On Tuesday, district Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an agreement with the administration to continue a collaboration between local police and federal law enforcement.

A protester pushes a bike carrying two dogs and bearing an American flag and District of Columbia flag at the “We Are All DC” march on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

On Saturday morning, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself with a burning Chicago skyline behind him and a message referring to the 1979 Vietnam War film “Apocalypse Now.”

He wrote on his platform Truth Social, “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” in reference to his unofficial renaming of the Department of Defense on Friday.

The post Protesters in D.C. flood the streets demanding an end to Trump’s military deployment appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

This content primarily highlights protests against former President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly focusing on opposition to the deployment of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement in Democratic-led cities. It features voices critical of Trump and his administration, including references to legal challenges and activist groups aligned with progressive causes. The framing and selection of quotes suggest a perspective sympathetic to the protesters and critical of Trump’s actions, indicating a left-leaning bias.

News from the South - West Virginia News Feed

WEEKEND WEATHER SEPT 7TH

Published

4 days ago

September 7, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WOAY TV – 2025-09-07 19:58:46

SUMMARY: WEEKEND WEATHER SEPT 7TH: After a rainy day yesterday, Appalachia is now clear with only a few fair weather clouds. Temperatures are in the low to mid-60s due to a recent cold front, bringing lower humidity around 40-50%. Patchy fog may develop late tonight, especially near rivers, with chilly mornings in the 40s and possibly high 30s by Tuesday. Tomorrow’s highs will reach the upper 60s to low 70s with plenty of sunshine, perfect for outdoor activities. The week ahead remains dry and comfortable, with no rain expected and humidity staying low. Temperatures will normalize by week’s end.