Rand kept inmate medical costs high

(The Raleigh News & Observer) - A former legislative leader's under-the-radar maneuver undid a law to cut millions of dollars from the soaring cost of medical care for inmates days after it passed.

In August, the N.C. Department of Correction had a bill passed to allow the state to pay less to have inmates treated at hospitals, which were charging at nearly their highest rates. The ink on the governor's signature was barely dry when then-Sen. Tony Rand effectively gutted the bill at the request of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The new law requires the department to collaborate with Blue Cross on plans to pay inmate medical claims.

As a result of Rand's move, taxpayers continue to pay top dollar for inmate health care. The prison system pays, on average, almost five times more than government insurance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, according to a state audit released Thursday.