NC House, Senate reach deal on Medicaid funding, oversight reforms

North Carolina House and Senate leaders have reached an agreement on legislation to cover a shortfall in the state’s Medicaid program while tightening oversight of one of North Carolina’s largest government expenditures.

House Bill 696 would allocate $319 million to cover the Medicaid rebase for the remainder of the fiscal year. Lawmakers say the measure also includes a series of reforms to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within the program.

The agreement comes as Medicaid costs have exceeded earlier projections, prompting Republican leaders’ concerns about long-term sustainability and program accountability.

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“Medicaid should serve the people who truly need it, and this bill makes sure that happens,” House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said in a statement. “After Gov. Stein and his administration let costs run wild, we’re tightening things up by adding common-sense guardrails that cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. North Carolina taxpayers deserve confidence that their money is being spent wisely, and patients deserve a system that prioritizes care for those who depend on it the most.”

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