Rising cost of Medicaid putting pinch on counties

If the honorable state representatives and senators care a whit for the public purse, they will turn their collective attention to the rising cost of Medicaid. It's not sexy, but it should be at the top of their to-do list.

Why? There are 15 million good reasons right here in Forsyth County. That amount is the county's share of paying for Medicaid.

It's more expensive in smaller counties, which typically have to shell out an even higher percentage of their budgets for Medicaid. Fifty of the state's 100 counties - including Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin - spend more on Medicaid than they do on schools.

Why counties still have to pay a part of the Medicaid freight is anybody's guess. Fact is, North Carolina is the last state in the union to require counties to do so.

Scott Sexton