Gov. Bev Perdue Silent on Unfunded Medicaid Mandate

RALEIGH (By Sara Burrows, Carolina Journal Online) — In July, Gov. Bev Perdue said she would oppose a federal health care bill that placed additional financial burdens on the states.

“We are all hungry for a solution,” she said, “but the absolute dealbreaker for me as governor is a federal plan that shifts costs to the states.”

Six months later, Congress is finalizing a bill that would do just that by expanding Medicaid — the government health program for the poor. The federal government and the states share the costs of Medicaid, so any new obligation eventually would be borne, at least in part, by state taxpayers. And so far, Perdue has neither opposed the legislation nor stated any strong objections to the financial toll the bills being negotiated in Washington would take on North Carolina residents.