Program aims to link newly insured to primary care doctors

With 190,000 additional West Virginians having secured health-care coverage through Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act, state health leaders are urging newly insured residents to find a primary care doctor.

“We’re trying to get our population very engaged and very excited about the fact that now that they have coverage, how can they link that coverage to the right type of care,” said Karen Bowling, who heads West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources.

Bowling and other health advocates are pushing a federal program called “Coverage to Care,” which encourages people to make an appointment with a primary care doctor.

“Having one provider who knows your health-care needs, someone whom you can trust and work with is really the essential piece of the coverage to care movement,” said Cynthia Persily, CEO of Highland Hospital. “A regular, primary care provider can help ensure you get the preventive services that are right for you, help you make healthy lifestyle choices, improve your mental and emotional well-being and guide you as you reach your health and wellness goals.”

Monday’s press conference at the University of Charleston marked the start of a statewide series of health fairs and events designed to promote primary care.

People who see a family doctor regularly stay healthier, officials said. Primary care also saves the state money, as it decreases costly visits to crowded hospital emergency departments.