Haslam: TN will not run health care exchange - WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports

NASHVILLE (WRCB) -- TN Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday that Tennessee will not operate a state-based healthcare exchange under the federal Affordable Care Act.

On the Tennessee state government website, Haslam made the following statement:

"Tennessee faces a decision this week about health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.

"I'm not a fan of the law. The more I know, the more harmful I think it will be for small businesses and costly for state governments and the federal government.  It does nothing to address the cost of health care in our country.  It only expands a broken system.  That's why I've opposed it from the beginning and had hoped we would be successful in court and at the ballot box this year.

"Now we're faced with the fact that the law remains, and it requires every state to participate in an insurance exchange. Our decision is whether the state or federal government should run it, and the deadline for that decision is Friday.

"I believe my job is to get to the right answer.  That's what Tennesseans expect of me and elected me to do."

The full text of Haslam's statement can be found here.