GOP tells governors not to set up exchanges

GOP lawmakers in both chambers started their July 4 recess by asking the nation's governors not to implement the state health insurance exchanges required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) along with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) have sent a letter to all 50 governors that urged the state leaders to oppose creating state exchanges that the federal lawmakers say impose a financial threat to strained state economies. Resisting implementation of the exchanges, they contend, is good for hiring and investment.

“State-run exchanges are subject to all the same coverage mandates and rules as the federally run exchange,” the members of Congress wrote in their letter. “Clearing the hurdles of crafting an exchange that complies with the 600-plus pages of federal exchange regulations will only result in wasted state resources and higher premiums for your constituents.”

So far, 12 senators and 62 representatives have signed on to the letter. Late last week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) scheduled a July 11 vote in the lower chamber to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last week.