Free Republic

(snip).... Under the proposal, the state would absorb the counties' Medicaid expenses. In return, the state would take all revenue from a 1-cent sales tax known as the Article 39 sales tax. Revenue from that tax currently goes to counties and municipalities. Forsyth County, and other large counties with substantial retail bases, oppose the proposal because the revenue they get from the 1-cent sales tax is greater than the amount they pay for Medicaid. In the 2005-06 fiscal year, Forsyth County budgeted $32 million in revenue from the sales tax and $15 million in Medicaid expenses. Because there was no...

RALEIGH - Expect to hear a lot over the next weeks and months about a state "Medicaid scandal"- and expect not to be able to follow all of the ins and outs of this mind- boggling story. State Auditor Ralph Campbell has just served up what was widely termed a "stinging" audit of North Carolina's Medicaid program. Campbell, a Democrat serving his third, said that it was the "most damaging audit" he had released during his tenure. Specifically, the audit dealt with the state's administration of the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program, which for years has directed federal funds to...

Burr: Use Medicaid funds for MedicaidBy Ned B. Hunter, Rocky Mount Telegram North Carolina will receive $510 million in federal aid as part of the new tax cut package, said U.S. Rep. Richard Burr. State lawmakers need to use the $275 million of that aid earmarked for Medicaid for what it was intended, said Burr, R-5th District, speaking to nearly 180 people who were invited to the Rose Hill Plantation outside Nashville by N.C. Rep. Bill Daughtridge, R-Nash. "Those funds need to be "sheltered in a way to protect the Medicaid program." Burr, who was encouraged by the White House...

Court: N.C. must broaden its Medicaid coverage for illegal immigrants RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina must broaden its Medicaid coverage for illegal immigrants to allow for longer-term treatment of serious health problems, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The ruling could expand the kinds of medical treatment that illegal immigrants receive under the Medicaid program. For hospitals that are already treating illegal immigrants, the decision could also mean more Medicaid reimbursements.

DALLAS, April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACS (NYSE: ACS), a premier provider of business process and information technology outsourcing solutions, announced today that it has been notified by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of their intent to award a contract, valued at $171 million over five years, to replace and operate the North Carolina Medicaid Management Information System (NCMMIS). The overall goal of the new NCMMIS is to continue to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, which will improve beneficiary and population outcomes. ACS brings to the North Carolina Medicaid Program the best track...

(snip) Today, Asheville, [NC] is one of a handful of boroughs from St. Paul, Minn., to Manhattan that top the destination lists of ex-addicts wary of returning to the siren calls of their former haunts. These cities tend to be gritty, but artsy, places where the harsher realities of city life are on display alongside art openings and late-night cafes. Here in Asheville, there's also a strong religious backbone, a growing number of available service jobs, and a broad community of recovery support groups and counselors. What's more, the cost of living is relatively low, with lots of free things...