Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos describes the state’s Medicaid program as “so black.” Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, was “jubilant,” while Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford, was skeptical. Imagine that.
Partisan differences of opinion aside, it still remains to be seen how quickly the supposed $63 million surplus will be sucked up once hospitals are paid and backlogged Medicaid applications are processed.
Plus— as the Winston-Salem Journal reports:
The $63 million reversion could put more pressure on Gov. Pat McCrory and state Republican legislative leaders to revisit their stances on not expanding the program to an additional 400,000 low-income North Carolinians.
McCrory has cited as his main opposition his opinion that the state Medicaid program “is broken” and must be fixed before he can consider expansion. McCrory’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the Medicaid surplus.
Plus-plus the surplus does not appear to dampen the Senate’s desire to privatize Medicare, a move the Wos and McCrory strongly oppose.
