Earlier today Katie reported that Gov. Rick Perry announced Texas will not be setting up its own health care exchange – the government-run ‘marketplace’ for getting health insurance or, as Rush Limbaugh explains it, a ‘health care DMV.’
Today, Ohio Gov. John Kasich followed suit:
Today Governor John Kasich told the federal government that Ohio would not run an Obamacare health insurance exchange but would leave that to them. Not only are an exchange’s start-up and operating costs very high, but once created, Ohio will have almost zero control over how it operates. This will make it impossible for the state to tailor an exchange to meet Ohioans' unique needs.
Gov. Kasich also informed the federal government that Ohioans will retain all regulatory authority for Ohio’s insurance industry, and that we will retain control of the process of determing who is eligible for Medicaid benefits. […]
Despite many of the tough challenges facing America right now—high debt, high deficits, the threat of higher taxes and the threat of more regulation—Ohio is on the path to recovery and we’re setting an example for other states and the nation to follow.
Though our hands have been tied on this issue because of a federal law, we will do all that we can to protect the values that have always made Ohio great.
The deadline for states to decide whether they will set up exchanges has been extended to December 14.