Gov. Butch Otter noted today that a decision on whether to start a state-run health insurance exchange or not will have to be made shortly. "There's some decisions that are going to have to be made between now and the 14th of December that are going to have a lot of impact on that session," he said of the upcoming legislative session. "There's going to be a lot of heavy lifting, because in many ways we're not the architects of these problems but ... I believe ... that we are up to the task."

He complained about continued changes in federal rules regarding the exchange. "Every time we're at a point where we think we're going to make a decision on it, then we get another set of rules and regulations that changes the dynamic of what we thought we were dealing with." He noted that some of his colleagues, other states' Republican governors, have decided to let the feds operate their exchanges because "they're still philosophically opposed to what is the law, and what is the law of the land. I want to remind you that we are a republic," Otter said. "Like it or not, we tried to change the law, we've done everything we possibly could, and now with the best interests of ... Idahoans we now have to make that decision and that decision will come down. It's not going to please everybody, I'm sure. Those of us that have to make the decision probably won't be pleased about it."