Rick Perry Says Texas Will Not Take Part in Obamacare

Texas’ governor has reiterated his position that the state will not implement a particular portion of Obamacare.

Governor Rick Perry sent a follow-up letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, further stating Texas’ position not to implement a state insurance exchange as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.

A state exchange must be approved by the Obama Administration, and operate under specific federally mandated rules, many of which have yet to be disclosed, according to Perry’s office.

“As long as the federal government has the ability to force unknown mandates and costs upon our citizens, while retaining the sole power in approving what an exchange looks like, the notion of a state exchange is merely an illusion,” Perry stated in the letter to Sebelius.

He continued, saying “It would not be fiscally responsible to put hard-working Texans on the financial hook for an unknown amount of money to operate a system under rules that have not even been written.”

The deadline for a state to inform the federal government of their intention regarding a state exchange is November 16^th.

Perry’s letter to Sebelius is available here.