Gov. Bill HaslamNASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam on Friday announced he is postponing a decision on whether Tennessee will create its online marketplace for health insurance, taking advantage of President Barack Obama’s administration’s month-long extension of what had been today’s deadline for states to decide.
State House Democrats accused the governor of procrastinating and urged him to “rip the Band-Aid off — one way or another.”
Haslam, a Republican, said no decision has been made by the state regarding creating its own insurance exchange or letting the federal government do it. On Thursday, the Obama administration extended Friday’s deadline to Dec. 14 upon Republican governors’ request.
But two other area governors weren’t as tentative. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley both said their states will not set up the health exchanges, extended deadline or not.
That leaves the federal government to come in and create the exchanges, which must be in place by 2014.