Governor Pat McCrory has announced a plan that could privatize the state's Medicaid program that serves low-income people.
The state will hold a competitive bidding process for three big managed-care providers to deliver medical, mental and dental services to patients. Governor McCrory says the plan will help streamline the delivery of Medicaid services.
"To truly put our Medicaid system on a sustainable path of success, it's clear that we must improve the system, with first our great doctors, nurses, and other Medicaid healthcare providers," he says. "Second we need to help the North Carolina taxpayers who invest more than 13 billion into the system each year."
McCrory says this would also keep down costs for taxpayers. The state has struggled with Medicaid shortfalls in recent years, as more patients have gone on the rolls.
But Democrats in the General Assembly have criticized the plan. They say the governor should've chosen to expand the state's Medicaid program to insure half a million more residents to comply with the Affordable Care Act.