www.thecentersquare.com – By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-17 13:18:00
(The Center Square) – West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey wants the NCAA to answer for its decision to leave the state’s largest public university out of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
West Virginia, 19-13, was the first team out, said the selection committee. Indiana, Ohio State and Boise State were behind them. The Mountaineers were 19-13, won six against Quad 1 teams, and lost to last-place Colorado in its Big 12 Tournament opener.
In a letter to NCAA General Counsel Scott Bearby on Monday, McCuskey said the snub was difficult to understand and wanted the NCAA to explain precisely how it selected teams – both objectively and subjectively.
“Given the major event that the tournament has become, all fans deserve to know how the selection committee makes its choices,” McCuskey said in the letter. “Just for the teams, those criteria affect scheduling, lineup choices, and more. And as we look ahead to another season, these student-athletes deserve to know the rules of the game and what they might be up against.”
McCuskey pointed out the Mountaineers had as many “Quad 1” wins as the four bubble teams to make the field combined.
He also questioned Committee Chairman and North Carolina Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham’s comments regarding an injury to West Virginia star Tucker DeVries. However, according to McCuskey, DeVries only played in eight games during the year and had not played since December.
North Carolina, with a 22-13 record and a 36 net ranking by the committee, was the last team to make the tournament. The committee gave West Virginia a net ranking of 51.
The letter said in part, “Athletic directors with teams under active consideration (and on the bubble) also participate as members of the selection committee. There is a public perception, as noted by Fran Frischilla, that these kinds of decisions are driven by personalities instead of data.”
WV Republicans, who won nearly every election in 2024, focused on ‘election integrity’ this session
by Amelia Ferrell Knisely and Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch March 18, 2025
In the wake of West Virginia Republicans winning nearly every election in November, the GOP supermajority has spent a bulk of the 2025 legislative session on bills they say will increase election integrity.
Democratic lawmakers argue that conspiracy theories are guiding the onslaught of election bills this session.
There have been 93 elections- or voting-focused bills introduced this legislative session, and Republican-backed measures meant to clean up the voter rolls, restrict immigrants’ voting rights, make judicial races partisan and more have dominated committee agendas. The Senate already signed off on a measure that would clarify voter eligibility, including that a voter be a U.S. and state citizen; it also seeks to protect elderly residents’ voting rights.
A bill that would limit absentee voter registration has drawn concern from several outside groups, including the Women League of Voters of West Virginia, who say it targets elderly and disabled West Virginians in a state with abysmal voter turnout.
“West Virginia faces real problems … we suggest that you solve some of these problems before wasting your time chasing down bogus conspiracy theories that marinate in right-wing social media and cable news,” the group said in a statement.
Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio
West Virginia had no reports of election fraud during the 2024 general election, where the voters overwhelmingly favored President Donald Trump, and Republican candidates won nearly every race in the state, even adding on to their GOP majority in the Legislature.
“With so many Republicans in the Legislature, do they think those elections were fixed or rigged? Because that’s the legislation they’re running,” said Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio.
Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia
Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, said a non-election year is the right time for lawmakers to focus on making sure elections are safe and thwarting potential problems. Lawmakers can look to other states for ideas, he said.
“It gives us an opportunity to really look at election laws, evaluate what happened during the last election cycle, and try to identify what we can do to make the process better, safer and stomp out any fraud,” he said. “There’s no conspiracy here. Republicans are not trying to make it more difficult to vote.”
Several of the bills have come at the request of new Secretary of State Kris Warner, who has said that protecting the integrity of the election process was a priority.
“The names of deceased people, convicted felons and out of state citizens will continue to be removed from the voter rolls,” Warner told reporters during the West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Lookahead event last month. “This session I’ll support the implementation of photo ID for voters and work tirelessly to ensure every eligible citizen will have the right and opportunity to vote.”
West Virginia Republican Party Co-Chairman Tony Hodge, whose work includes increasing voter turnout, said that Republican lawmakers aren’t trying to make it harder to vote.
“I think all West Virginians would agree that our elections should be as secure as possible,” he said. “It just gives peace of mind.”
Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, speaks against a bill that would prohibit people from sending absentee ballot applications to people who did not ask for them on March 6, 2025.(Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography)
Bill restricting absentee voter applications draws concerns
One of the more contested bills has been Republican-sponsored House Bill 2117, which would change how the state handles absentee ballots, including setting a deadline of 7:30 p.m. on Election Day for absentee ballots to be received and prohibiting people from sending absentee ballot applications to people who did not ask for them.
Trump has attacked the use of mail-in ballots, blaming his 2020 presidential loss on the voting method, though he more recently has walked back his criticism.
The legislation, which passed the House 88-14 on March 6, has drawn opposition from groups including the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, who say the bill penalizes people who rely on the U.S. Postal Service to send their absentee ballot.
“HB 2117 disregards West Virginia’s strong election safeguards, pushing baseless conspiracy nonsense that wastes time and ignores real issues,” Julie Archer, CAG’s deputy director, said in the statement. “Instead of solving problems, it attacks voters and makes it harder for eligible West Virginians to cast their ballots.”
“Supporters pointed to restrictive voting laws in other states to justify the bill — laws born from the same baseless hysteria over voter fraud that this legislature seems hell-bent on keeping alive,” she said.
Rick Hillenbrand, R-Hampshire
Del. Rick Hillenbrand, R-Hampshire, one of the bill’s sponsors, said he wanted to prevent groups from sending large amounts of absentee ballot applications to people who may not be eligible by law to vote by absentee ballot.
“This has actually occurred in the past where some groups have without vetting whom they’re sending applications to, whether or not they’re legally eligible to vote by absentee,” he said. “They just mass mail absentee ballot applications. The problem with that, of course, there are people who are perhaps a little too trusting with regards to things that get sent to them and delivered, especially by organizations they believe to be reputable.”
Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, says the bill could unfairly restrict voters in nursing homes who rely on absentee voting. West Virginia is one of the nation’s most elderly states.
“I’m concerned that federal law requires nursing home workers to help their residents vote,” Hansen said.
Individuals who mail or deliver more than 10 applications for an absentee ballot would face a $500 fine or incarceration for a misdemeanor, according to the bill. It prompted Hansen to send an absentee ballot application to every House member to show “this email would be illegal.”
“Hopefully that made the point with them how ridiculous this bill is,” he said. “They fear absentee voting, so they want to make it more difficult to cast a vote.”
In a statement, the League of Women Voters of West Virginia called the legislation voter suppression. The bill awaits consideration in the Senate.
“Absentee voting is essential for West Virginians with disabilities, those who lack transportation, the elderly, and residents of rural areas,” the group said in a statement. “These are demographics that characterize much of West Virginia’s potential voting population.
“Our state is known for its poor broadband penetration. This bill targets vulnerable West Virginians least likely to have computers and direct internet access who might otherwise access absentee applications on their own.”
One election bill awaits Morrisey’s signature
Sen. Jack Woodrum, R-Summers
Sen. Jack Woodrum, R-Summers, sponsored a bill that would prohibit rank choice voting, which isn’t happening in the state. The measure, which passed the House and Senate, is awaiting approval from Gov. Patrick Morrisey. It’s one of 13 bills that have made it to the governor’s desk at the halfway point in session.
Woodrum said that many of the election bills this year have been guided by public interest.
“Pretty much every public meeting I’m in, the thought of election fraud and people that have lost faith in the ability of the government to run a fair election comes up,” he said.
Both Woodrum and Hillenbrand said the state generally does well at running elections, but improvements can be made.
“Our secretary of state’s current and immediate past worked very hard to try to tighten it up. So I think all in all, we’re in a good place,” Hillenbrand said. “But like most things in life, there’s always a little room for improvement.”
In the House, Del. J.B. Akers, chair of its Judiciary Committee, said the Republican Caucus has prioritized election security bills.
Del. J.B. Akers, R-Kanawha
“Even though the Republicans won most of the races in the last election cycle by significant margins most of the time, they are acknowledging that voters do want secured elections and that these election bills are something that’s going to apply across the board, regardless of who’s in power,” said Akers, R-Kanawha.
The House Judiciary Committee is still vetting proposed voter photo ID changes, and House Bill 3016, sponsored by a Republican lawmaker, would do away with most of those forms of identification accepted, narrowing it down to six options: driver’s license, state ID, passport, employee ID, student ID and military ID. The state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union opposes the bill.
While those bills are moving, Hansen is still waiting for his Republican colleagues to take up his bill that seeks to modernize the state’s elections by updating absentee ballot procedure as making it more difficult to challenge a signature match.
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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.
SUMMARY: On March 17, 2025, southern West Virginia experienced chilly conditions with temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s, significantly colder than the previous day. Snow showers were present but have subsided, and traffic is flowing smoothly in Beckley. Despite the cold, temperatures will rise to 66°F on Tuesday and reach 77°F by Wednesday. A weak low pressure center will bring a chance of showers by Thursday. Following this, temperatures will drop into the lower to mid-50s before warming up again for the weekend. The week will be characterized by fluctuating temperatures and unsettled weather patterns.
The skies are clearing and temperatures are much colder than they were at this time yesterday. But the weather rollercoaster has one more hill left to climb this week.
Charmeka Newton, a psychotherapist who has her own practice in Lansing, Michigan, is passionate about serving Black and Hispanic patients. They’re often looking for therapists who will understand how their race, ethnicity and culture may affect them, she said, and she helps provide that care.
Medicaid is a major source of health care for people of color. But Newton can only afford to see a small number of Medicaid patients, because the program pays her so much less than commercial insurance.
Republicans in Congress are aiming to make extensive cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program that covers a total of 72 million low-income people and people with disabilities, or 1 in 5 U.S. residents. If that happens, Newton and many other mental health providers worry that already-low Medicaid reimbursement rates will stagnate or even decline.
That would make it difficult for her to keep seeing Medicaid patients.
“Medicaid is probably one of the most challenging insurances to work with,” Newton told Stateline. “My biggest fear if cuts happen is that individuals won’t have access to providers that are able to help them.”
Already, there is a shortage of mental health care providers. About 122 million people, or about 35% of the U.S. population, are living in an area with a mental health care professional shortage, according to data from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. If Medicaid reimbursement rates go down and more providers refuse to see those patients, the shortage would get worse.
Nationwide, Medicaid covers nearly 1 in 3 working-age adults who live with mental illness, or about 15 million adults, according to health policy research organization KFF.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, is looking for at least $880 billion in budget savings over the next decade, largely to pay for extensive tax cuts. A March 5 letter from the Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress, confirmed that a cut of that size would have to come from either Medicaid or Medicare, the insurance program for older adults.
President Donald Trump has said that Medicare is off the table, so that leaves Medicaid.
My biggest fear if cuts happen is that individuals won’t have access to providers that are able to help them.
– Charmeka Newton, a psychotherapist in Lansing, Mich.
Lawmakers are considering numerous options, including shrinking the federal government’s share of the cost of covering people who became newly eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. If that happens, states that opted to expand to cover those residents — adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level — would have to either increase their own spending or find savings elsewhere.
That could mean removing some people from Medicaid rolls, eliminating coverage for certain services or reducing reimbursement rates — any one of which could reduce Medicaid recipients’ access to mental health care, said Stephen Gillaspy, director of health policy and health care financing at the American Psychological Association.
“Those [actions] would have a huge negative impact for behavioral health care,” Gillaspy told Stateline. “Everyone’s on pins and needles about the potential cuts right now.”
Variations across states, different challenges
In at least 15 states, more than 40% of people on Medicaid reported experiencing a mental illness, according to a KFF analysis of 2021-2022 survey data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Republicans in Congress are still hammering out whether or how they might cut Medicaid. Chris Pope, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning policy group the Manhattan Institute, told Stateline he doubts mental health services or reimbursement rates would be affected, because the largest sources of spending are acute and long-term care.
“From a fiscal point of view, mental health is basically a drop in the bucket. It’s not where the big savings are going to need to come from,” Pope said.
Medicaid reimbursement rates for mental health services vary dramatically from state to state. Reimbursement for an hourlong individual psychotherapy session ranged from $95 to $135 in 2022, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Health Affairs.
States generally have flexibility in setting their physician reimbursement rates. So “if states have money to increase reimbursement rates,” they can do that, Pope noted. And many states have done that. According to a January 2023 KFF report, nearly two-thirds of the 44 states that responded to a survey said they increased behavioral health reimbursement rates for some Medicaid enrollees in 2022 or planned to in 2023.
Oregon passed a bill during its 2022 session to raise the state’s Medicaid behavioral health reimbursement rates by an average of 30% for providers who mostly see Medicaid patients, in an effort to address mental health care workforce challenges. In 2022, the state had the fourth-highest rate for unmet need in mental health treatment across the nation. Now, the state has one of the highest reimbursement rates.
“In Oregon, they actually have always really committed to paying providers well and giving cost-of-living updates so that it makes it much more attractive to providers providing Medicaid services,” Jen Yerty, a licensed counselor in Portland, Oregon, told Stateline. But Yerty said the higher reimbursement rate is the bare minimum to keep providers interested. She said she helps her clients with case management, including assisting them with accessing social services and rental aid.
“It would be great if they would actually reimburse us more for all the case management things that we do. It would be great if they offer a lot more resources,” Yerty said.
But behavioral health services, such as a psychological test to assess mental health function, are not one of the federally required Medicaid services, like a primary care doctor visit.
Gillaspy, of the American Psychological Association, noted the level of services offered across states also varies. And case management and psychological testing are exactly the types of services that may be on the chopping block as states consider cuts, he said.
What states can and have done
Researchers at KFF point out four main ways states have been trying to address mental health workforce shortages for state Medicaid programs. They include increasing reimbursement rates, reducing administrative burden on providers, creating licensure compacts to allow providers to work across state lines or reducing licensure requirements, and incentivizing participation by, for example, reimbursing providers quickly.
Megan Cole, an associate professor of health policy at Boston University, told Stateline there are other options states could pursue, such as raising taxes to offset the federal cuts and keeping reimbursement rates high. She also said Medicaid can ask primary care providers to start integrating preventive mental health screenings and services before care becomes acute and requires an emergency room visit.
“There are models of care that work well in this space, and not every state is currently implementing them. So I think there is a lot of opportunity for expansion of some of these integrated care models,” Cole said.
Another option she recommends is for states to invest in community health centers, where a lot of patients on Medicaid see mental health providers.
Investment in public health facilities is also what Michigan Republican state Rep. Phil Green had sought when he cosponsored a bill with Democratic lawmakers in 2023 to increase reimbursement rates to community behavioral health clinics. But the bill died last year, likely because other issues took priority, he said.
Green told Stateline that mental health issues are a bipartisan issue. Green says lawmakers in his caucus, including some veterans, are well aware that mental health issues are a big concern within the population. “Republicans and conservatives alike realize that this is a growing issue and a growing need.”
He thinks that if the feds cut their contributions to Medicaid, state Republican lawmakers will still be interested in finding some solutions to the shortage of mental health care workers.
In California, the state in 2023 implemented changes to improve reimbursement for providers of Medicaid mental health and substance use disorder services through county behavioral health departments. The goal of the effort was to remove some of the common problems providers faced, including long delays in reimbursements and lengthy auditing processes.
David Hindman, a past president of the California Psychological Association, said the most important effect was to increase the rates of reimbursement to help meet the increased costs of providing care for Medicaid recipients. Hindman works for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, but said he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the department.
“We’ve actually expanded services significantly,” Hindman said. “It’s completely incentivized provider agencies to see low-income patients because it gives them better reimbursement rates. It covers more things.”
Still, Hindman said, clinicians not working through county health departments who see a lot of Medicaid patients still struggle with making ends meet. And he says states will still have to explore solutions to the workforce shortage in the face of major federal funding cuts.
Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
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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.
