Many states are coming out as opposing the new health care reform put into action by the Obama administration. Even with Obama making slight changes to create a more viable solution in the states' eyes, many states' leaders, including Montana's Governor, Brian Schweitzer, are not happy.

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Marnee Banks - KBZK

President Obama recently told the National Governor's Association that he is granting the states more flexibility in implementing federal healthcare reform, but Gov. Brian Schweitzer isn't buying it.

"They act as though this is going to be a cure-all solution for states who would like more flexibility, but they really haven't changed the rules so that flexibility is more likely to be granted or would be granted sooner than what it has been in the past," Schweitzer said.

The Affordable Care Act currently allows states to come up with their own health care solutions in 2017, but President Obama told the National Governors Association that he supports legislation that bumps that date up to 2014.

But Schweitzer says the date isn't the problem.

"Any system that we are likely to adopt in Montana must also challenge the cost in health care, how much we pay for medicine, how much we pay for medical devices, how many procedures our patients are undergoing," he said.

According to the MT Department of Health & Human Services, the Affordable Care Act will more than double Montana's Medicaid rolls. Schweitzer says the federal government allows states to apply for waivers to help offset costs.

"It's just that it takes a long to time to get that waiver approved and many of those waivers aren't approved," he said.

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