Otter restrained on health insurance exchange…

Given that Gov. Butch Otter has been speaking out strongly on the consequences if Idaho fails to set up a state-run health insurance exchange - and allows the federal government to instead step in and run one for Idaho - his comments in his State of the State message on the issue today are remarkably restrained. Otter isn’t proposing spending authority for the $20.3 million in federal grant funds Idaho has received to set up the exchange, instead leaving that question open as lawmakers convene. He noted that Idaho was looking into an exchange before the feds required it.

“My decision to allow the application to be submitted simply preserved the opportunity for you and all Idahoans to discuss our options and decide what’s best for our citizens,” he said. “In the next few weeks we will continue to have those discussions, weighing all our options and the potential outcomes associated with each of them.” He noted that Idaho is among the states challenging the federal health care reform law. “My goal is to collaborate with you today on a principled path forward, so we’re prepared for the health care environment that we’ll have tomorrow,” he told lawmakers.