Counties Burdened by Medicaid

RALEIGH — North Carolina is the only state that requires counties to pay a fixed percentage of Medicaid costs, and a recently released John Locke Foundation study shows how much the health-care program for the poor is burdening county budgets. The study notes that counties in the state spend up to 15 percent of their general fund budgets, and up to 39 percent of their property tax revenues, to cover the cost of Medicaid. Counties have no control over these spending mandates.