UPDATED: Both chambers approved Senate Bill 4, which turns down the expansion of Medicaid — and the funding that comes with it — under the federal health care law.
The bill, which had been in conference committee, also prohibits the state from setting up online exchanges where people can buy health insurance, allowing the federal government to set up the exchanges in North Carolina.
There is now a fiscal note attached to the legislation that estimates it will cost $45.7 million to develop "an interface with the federally facilitated Health Benefits Exchange."
But the state expects to pay for only 10 percent — or $5 million — of that with federal funds paying for the other 90 percent. The bill allows the state to apply for the federal funds.
