Lt. Gov. Taylor: Ohio will not establish state-run health insurance exchange

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor speaks at the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce mid-year meeting Tuesday. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Buy This Photo

BOWLING GREEN — Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor said Tuesday that the Kasich Administration will not set up a state-run health insurance exchange as directed under President Obama’s sweeping health care reform.

“At this point, we are not going to set up a state-based exchange,” Ms. Taylor said while speaking before a luncheon meeting of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce.

Previously, the administration had said they were “leaning” toward not establishing the exchange. The state has until Nov. 16 to tell the federal government whether it will implement its own plan or leave it to the federal government to implement one.

Ms. Taylor, a Republican, said it would cost the state between $30 million and $40 million per year to operate an exchange, plus initial start-up costs. She said that’s too much, and there would be no benefit to Ohio residents for the state to set up the exchange.

Instead, the state will defer to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to set up Ohio’s program, which must be in place by Jan. 1, 2014.

She did leave open the possibility the administration could reverse course, but said right now she and Gov. John Kasich believe the decision is the best one for Ohio.

“Based on all of the information we have available for us today, the reports we’ve done, the information that is scant out of Washington about how we are required to comply, we have made a decision that we do not think it is in the best interest of Ohio citizens to do a state-based exchange at this point.”

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at: tlinkhorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6134.