Governors urge feds to give them bigger health care voice

Democratic and Republican leaders of the National Governors Association asked for greater flexibility from the federal government on health law implementation.

CQ HealthBeat: Governors Want A Place At The Table On Health Care Policy
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the National Governors Association hit hard on health in the organization's first-ever "State of the States" address on Wednesday, saying that the federal government must be flexible and partner with states as the health care law is implemented. With the overhaul law going into full effect in 2014, attention increasingly will be paid to state decisions on health insurance exchanges, Medicaid expansion, insurance rate review and more. At the same time, governors have been pushing for a higher-profile role in many Washington fiscal discussions, including on health care policy (Norman, 1/9).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Governors' Group Highlights Health Care In 2013 Outlook
As governors gear up to deliver their state-of-the-state addresses later this month, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the National Governors Association spoke Wednesday about the broader policy challenges facing all states in 2013 -- and sure enough, health care was among the major issues both mentioned" (Kulkarni, 1/10).