RALEIGH, N.C.  – A legislative office that examines state agencies says North Carolina could have saved up to $226 million on if regulators had acted more quickly to contain mental health costs.

The report released Monday by the General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division examined what’s called the Enhanced Services Package. The most expensive part was “community support” services, which pays for non-medical care for patients living at home.

The division said that total costs began to soar beginning in October 2006, but agency decisions to control costs didn’t occur until five months later.

Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler wrote a response to the report. He said there are federal and state rules and regulations that make it difficult for his agency to rein in costs.