GOP emphasizing need for states to lead on health reform

A leading Senate Republican said Friday that the welfare reforms put in place during the 1990s, which gave states considerable flexibility, should be used as the model for the shape of a health law replacement plan.

NPR: GOP Wants States To Lead On Health Coverage
If Republicans are successful in repealing last year's health law, they want to replace it with legislation that would give states far more discretion about how to cover people, according to a top Senate Republican (Rovner, 3/11).

National Journal: Get Me Rewrite: Hatch Wants A Do-Over On Health Care Reform
Facing what could be a tough path to re-election in a state that has shifted further right, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the senior Republican on the pivotal Finance Committee, pitched a conservative health care reform blueprint that starts with repealing the law and building a replacement package with state governments at the center. "For all the talk about flexibility, the health law provides a one-size-fits-all solution to coverage in the states," Hatch said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Hudson Institute on Friday. "Unfortunately, 'Obamacare' sidelined the states" (DoBias, 3/11).