Panel: Could take until 2020 to stabilize Medicaid

RALEIGH, N.C. — A consultant examining options for overhauling Medicaid in North Carolina said Thursday it could be 2020 before any plan to stabilize costs and shift risk toward the private sector is implemented fully.

Bob Atlas spoke at the first meeting of an advisory panel charged by the legislature with advising the Department of Health and Human Services on what path to take on changing Medicaid, which covers more than 1.7 million North Carolina residents. The General Assembly wants a proposal from DHHS by mid-March, but would have to sign off later on any plan, which would be designed to make Medicaid funding more predictable while creating better patient outcomes.