Health Care: Lawmakers are not addressing problems
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Reports from data analysis finance websites such as WalletHub don't often paint a pretty picture of West Virginia, but in its "Best and Worst States for Healthcare" 2026, there is one bright spot for the state -- and it may come as a surprise.
The Mountain State ranks 19th in the country for healthcare access.
Though poorer, rural residents may question that ranking, it was the good news. Now, on to the rest.
Overall, West Virginia ranks 47th this year -- 41st for cost and 47th for outcomes. (Hey, it's not dead last. Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and Alaska are worse.) The state is also 51st for average monthly insurance premium (meaning we pay the most in the country), a surprising 3rd for hospital beds per capita, 48th for dentists per capita and 50th for the percentage of adults with no dental visit in the past year, and a horrifying 50th for cancer rate and 51st for stroke and heart disease rate.
Health outcomes here are abysmal, and so far, nothing lawmakers have attempted has truly addressed that it feels inevitable in West Virginia a person will be diagnosed with cancer and/or cardiovascular disease.
Yes, we have an unusually high rate of tobacco-product use here. That accounts for some of the cancer -- not all of it. And yes, our diet could be better and we could be moving more. Easier said than done if you are struggling in a food desert; in a culture that doesn't always value exercise.
"The most important step is to keep oneself healthy," said Chunhuei Chi, a professor at Oregon State University. "At the same time, there are also factors affecting an individual's health that are beyond an individual's control (the societal determinants of health). Which is why collective healthcare financing, whether through private insurance, or through public health insurance, is vital to minimizing health-related expenditures."
How many of those social determinants of health could be addressed by lawmakers who simply don't have the will? Could we do something to make tobacco use harder/less appealing? Could we do something to better tell people what is in their air, soil and water -- and protect those things? Could we stop leaning into the socio-cultural battles that depend on constituents NOT thinking very hard about why they believe and behave as they do?
Numbers in a report are one thing. But as lawmakers refuse to let go of the attitude that they either can't or won't do something about it, they're killing us.