Highmark West Virginia tells lawmakers its Medicaid option and individual-market growth could hinge on federal subsidies

Parkersburg, W.Va. — At a meeting of the Joint Committee on Government Finance in Parkersburg, James Fawcett, president of Highmark West Virginia, and Jason Landers, a Highmark representative, briefed lawmakers on the insurer's statewide operations, recent growth in individual coverage and the rollout of a Blue Cross Blue Shield'branded Medicaid option.

Fawcett described Highmark West Virginia as "the only insurance carrier in the state of West Virginia that can serve West Virginians and all 55 counties," and said the company provides Medicaid, ACA individual plans, small- and large-group coverage, and Medicare products. He told the committee the state's payer mix is heavily weighted toward government coverage; citing the insurance commissioner's report, he said about 1.7 million people live in the state and roughly "74% of all West Virginians are covered by a plan or have no insurance that end up reimbursing our health system providers."

The presentatio…