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Tennessee refuses to set up health insurance exchange

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    Governor Bill Haslam discusses their choice

  • Duration 3:29
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Tennessee becoming the latest state to say no is setting up its own health care exchange under Obama can meaning.

He will be up to the federal government to set one up Republican governor bill hasn't joins us now to explain his decision good to see you governor thanks very much for joining us why did you make this decision.

Well -- You know we start with the premise evening we can run -- will do better than the federal government will we we've we think we do it faster better cheaper than they can but in the end they couldn't answer our questions.

And tend to go on to something that's this vast of an enterprise and have so many things unanswered likes it.

We -- gotten 820.

Pages of of rules in the last two or three weeks from them.

Still in draft form for something Maine they've -- was in the works for two years so.

It just felt like to us they weren't organized enough well -- for us to to to do this with them.

You're the chief executive of the state of Tennessee.

Governors like to have as much control as they can and here you are basically ceding.

A lot of control when it comes to the health care of the people of your great state to the federal government any problems with that.

Well I have a lot of problems but but that decision on the exchange really wasn't gonna make a big difference there one way or the other we we are fear once we got into -- was that the state base exchange didn't give us a lot more flexibility -- latitude than.

Running with them would.

And -- are letting them run it would.

In in exchange for that we were entering into this likes of partnership with them that they would they wouldn't define for us.

So I have a lot of issues with how they that the health care plan works out how much decision making it takes out of not just state hands but individual's hands I have a major concern.

I just don't think the state basic change was gonna solve that problem.

Governor you said in a statement that you released on Monday that you've opposed obamacare from the very beginning that you would hope that it would be.

That that your efforts in those those who agree with you would have been successful.

In the courts and at the ballot box you -- -- you weren't successful in the courts and Supreme Court a ruling in favor of obamacare you weren't successful at the ballot box the president.

Has just won a second term.

-- no that's right so our job now is to implement like satellite the -- I wish it hadn't been past always shot.

Supreme Court overturned -- now which would have different election November of oh we didn't and so we have to deal with the reality there are going to be exchanges set up in every state down the question is whether.

We were gonna run -- -- of the federal government run them.

But is the chief executive the state I didn't feel good about going into this part this relationship when they wouldn't define what it would look like I don't think it.

The people kind of entrusted us with making those sort of decisions and is ill defined as this was it was not the right thing for Tennessee I just have a couple seconds governor is.

Is as John Boehner access has said is obamacare the law of the land -- we gonna continue to see.

These sort of challenges in battles that are better that that opponents -- hopeful finally sort of chip away so that it goes away altogether.

Well -- Wow -- -- I'm not a fan but I think for at least for governors we have to go on Google for on the basis that this is what was -- -- we have to implement the pieces that were responsible for so.

Again I'd love to see a different direction so I think it's incredibly costly for the federal government for state governments it's going to.

Be very difficult and for small businesses as well so I'd like to see go away in the meantime.

We're charged with implementing his as -- is.

Bill has -- the governor of the great state of Tennessee a look forward to visiting your state seen family in Memphis over the holidays.

Always fun to visit Tennessee thank you so much there.

Come down and spend some money let us we'll do.

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