GOP Govs seek flexibility in insurance exchanges

In a sharply worded letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the governors ask for six specific changes that would give states more control over the health law's exchange markets.

Politico: GOP Govs Push For Health Changes
Republican governors want HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make specific changes to the new health exchanges, and have threatened to pull back on running their own exchanges if their demands are not met. "Many of us believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should be repealed by Congress if the courts do not strike it down first," 21 of the 29 GOP governors wrote in a Monday morning letter (Kliff, 2/7).

CQ HealthBeat: GOP Governors To Sebelius: More Flexibility For Health Exchanges
A group of 21 Republican governors sent a sharply worded letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday that demanded more flexibility in the creation and operation of insurance exchanges. In the letter, they ask for six changes that would provide more state control over the new exchange markets that will be created under the health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) by 2014 (Adams, 2/7).

The Hill: Republican Govs Demand Flexibility To Run Insurance Exchanges
Many of the nation's Republican governors are asking the Obama administration for generous flexibility to implement and oversee new state-run health insurance exchanges required in the health care reform act. Noting their intense opposition to the health care overhaul, 21 Republican governors recommended six major improvements for state-run exchanges that would give the states more decision power (Millman, 2/7).

National Journal: Daniels: Health Care Headed For 'Train Wreck'
The latest act in the drama of the states vs. "Obamacare" is a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels predicting a "train wreck" if President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius fail to implement changes to the Affordable Care Act. Daniels, a rumored contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, says in the editorial that he's sent an ultimatum to Sebelius outlining the conditions under which he would enforce the law in his state (Boerma, 2/7).