Sarah Morgan is unemployed. Without a job, she's without her health benefits.
"I have to pay for my own health insurance because I'm not getting health insurance out of my employers," said Morgan, who was a social worker. "So I have to pay it out of pocket and it's very expensive."
So she came to the Schoenbaum Family Enrichment Center on Charleston's West Side Tuesday night where the group, West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, hosted a town hall meeting.
"We're reaching out to women because women tend to use the health care system more and they make the health care decisions," said Renate Pore, the director of healthy policy for WVAHC.
Pore said she wants women and their families to learn what they get from the Affordable Health Care Act. This means access to preventive care without co-pays or deductibles including pap smears and mammography screenings.
The ACA also prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and charging women than men based on different services.
Janet Zerbe said she's been lucky enough to have health care coverage all her life. But as a rehabilitation officer for 27 years, she knows how badly some women need help.
"I'm trying to find out how I can support the increase of the medicaid in the state," Zerbe said. "I'd like to see Medicaid expanded for West Virginians who don't currently have health coverage.
States must decide whether they will side with a Medicaid expansion that would provide more coverage to more people.
"Governor Tomblin has not made a decision on expanding Medicare at this time," Pore said.
More than 400,000 people in the Mountain State receive benefits through Medicaid last year.
Gov. Tomblin is currently reviewing studies that look at the costs and benefits of expanding Medicaid before making a decision in the nearby future, said Amy Shuler-Goodwin, communications director for the Governor's Office.
Gov. John Kasich and Gov. Steven Beshear have already approved an expansion to Medicaid in Ohio and Kentucky, respectively.
If Gov. Tomblin approves the Medicaid expansion, nearly 130,000 uninsured West Virginians could gain health insurance through the entitlement program.
As Sarah Morgan, Janet Zerbe, and all the women in between, wait for state leaders to make decisions-- they're taking action--arming themselves with information.
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