Article on Federal-North Carolina Olmstead Negotiations

See this article in the Raleigh News and Observer.  It begins:

Thousands of frail elderly people in North Carolina live in assisted-living facilities alongside people with mental illness, who are often younger and stronger than the traditional rest-home residents. 

Federal authorities want states to separate the populations whenever possible, and have promised to withhold Medicaid money to make that happen. State officials agree that housing the two groups together is undesirable, but finding a solution has been a headache of long standing. 

The legislature’s temporary solution, laid out in budget proposals, is to set aside $10 million to provide homelike community settings for people with mental illness. As much as $39 million would allow assisted-living centers to house both populations without help from Medicaid, which pays about a third of the cost.