Wednesday and Thursday, May 23-24, proved to be busy days as House Appropriation subcommittees rolled out their budget adjustment proposals for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The subcommittee assigned to handle Health and Human Services (HHS) met on Thursday morning for what proved to be a very efficient meeting. After staff explained the proposed adjustments to the biennium budget, there were only six amendments offered. The HHS proposal will now be rolled up with the proposals of five other subcommittees for discussion in the full appropriations meeting next week.

While there appear to be no further across the board rate cuts outlined in the budget, a number of smaller cuts remain that concern the NCMS. Our number one goal during the short session is to ensure that there are no further cuts to physician services and that Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) savings are realistic and achievable. We will continue to work to make sure that access for Medicaid recipients to local medical providers remains a top priority for budget writers.

After the House takes up the combined bill, it is expected to receive a speedy approval and then move to the Senate for revision. A process commonly referred to as a conference will then be used to work out any differences between the House and Senate proposals. Budget leaders continue to speculate that they will be able to finish their work by the end of June.

You can look at the entire proposal along with the amendments offered by clicking here.