North Carolina will get $1 billion in Medicaid funds, but the state House and Senate are divided on how to spend the money, NPR affiliate Blue Ridge Public Radio reported June 14.
The House wants about one-quarter of the money to go toward upping reimbursement rates for mental healthcare. Its plan also includes $50 million to help mental health practitioners pay back student loans, and the House also wants to fund mental health facilities.
The Senate, meanwhile, is taking a wider scope. It wants to spend the money on new hospital construction and health sciences training facilities at colleges and universities. A children's hospital with a mental health center is the largest project in the Senate proposal. The Senate is also looking at measures to bolster rural hospitals.
The House and Senate are working on a compromise for the final budget. An agreement is expected in the coming weeks, the report said.