The Honorable James C. Justice, Governor, State of West Virginia
1900 Kanawha Boulevard
East Charleston, West Virginia 25301
Dear Governor Justice,
I hope this finds you well. As you know, Jim Kaufinan, President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospitals Association, recently announced that Wheeling Hospital will no longer accept West Virginia Public Employees Insurance (PEIA) effective July 1, 2023. As you are clearly aware, PEIA is the largest health insurance provider in our state. Additionally, WVU Medicine’s Wheeling Hospital is an integral trauma hospital servicing the northern panhandle of our state. In fact, it is the only Level III trauma hospital located in the northern panhandle.
It is clear that the issues outlined in this letter need resolved immediately. My constituents, and the residents of the entire northern panhandle, are being severely harmed by this decision as an extraordinary high percentage of my constituents rely on PEIA and WVU Medicine for their healthcare needs. The taxpayers of West Virginia are getting the short end of the stick because two state-funded entities are at odds with each other.
Governor Justice, at the end of the day, no matter how complex the issues are, our mutual constituents are losing substantial access to healthcare. Quite simply, this is government at its worst and my constituents deserve better. These issues need addressed immediately. Accordingly, I am requesting that your office immediately coordinate and participate in a meeting involving all interested parties, and myself to address and resolve these very important issues. I look forward to working with everyone as we resolve these issues as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
Del. Charlie Reynolds, 6th District
Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Workforce Development
