By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

Legislation in the N.C. House could result in more than $1.1 million in Medicaid relief to Columbus County – 1 in 10 counties that spends more on Medicaid than public school construction.

The bill, H1424, would permanently cap the amount of money counties pay to support the Medicaid program.

More than 25 percent of the county population is Medicaid eligible – which in Columbus County equates to more than a $5 million share the county must contribute. The expense makes up more than 14 percent of the county’s overall budget.

“I’ve got a feeling it will pass the House okay,” Rep. Dewey Hill said. He is one of 119 House members who are co-sponsoring the bill. “There is a great deal of support in the House side from Scotland and other counties.”

Hill could not speculate as to what would happen to the measure if it passes the House and is sent on to the Senate.

“The speaker of the House is comfortable with the bill; he likes it,” Hill pointed out. He said there appears to be more of a push for relief in the House where a number of representatives are from counties hit hard by the Medicaid share versus a number of senators who may not represent districts in such need for the relief.

“I know Sen. (R.C.) Soles will do what he can but he is one of fifty senators,” Hill explained. “I think there will be some relief one way or another – Columbus County would sure welcome it.”

“This bill shows broad-based support in the House to do something. If not this approach, then certainly something as good or better,” Rep. Bill Owen of Pasquotank County said at a news conference held in Raleigh last Thursday. “Medicaid is a big problem for the state as well as counties, but we put more of it on the counties than any other state. A few other states (ask counties) to do some things, but not at the level we do. So we feel that we need to address that issue.”

At that same press conference, Terry Garrison, NCACC president and a Vance County commissioner pointed out that other needs go unmet in counties due to the Medicaid expense.

“County Medicaid costs are growing 10 percent a year, while our property tax base is growing about six percent a year. This imbalance is forcing counties across the state to either raise property taxes or cut funding to other critical services, like schools and public safety,” Garrison said.

For every 73 cents collected in property taxes in Columbus County in fiscal 2005-06, 21 cents went to pay the state mandated share of Medicaid expenses.

Finalizing the county budget last year hung in part on hope that the state would pass some form of Medicaid relief on to the counties who paid a 15 percent share. Commissioners held off on adopting the budget until the last day possible and ultimately voted for a tax increase.

That relief hoped for finally came in the form of state legislation that provided for one-time relief and capped county Medicaid expenses at the fiscal 2005-06 levels. Columbus County’s Medicaid share had already grown to more than $5.2 million in 2005-06 according to NCACC data.