Last week, his office told reporters he planned to offer a joint partnership with the federal government in order to avoid a takeover if the Legislature did not reach an agreement by the Nov. 16 deadline.

Snyder originally proposed the idea of a state-run system on the premise it would provide a way for citizens a one-stop-shop to compare prices and coverage of different private health care plans.
The plan was aimed, in part, to attract young adults to stay in state and work for Michigan companies, as well as give businesses more options for their employees.

In an interview with The State News at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Snyder said he is exploring a partnership with federal government to allow customer service to still be run by the state.

But at this early stage, he said it’s still not clear yet how the system will affect young adults who are fresh out of college and looking to start a career.

“It depends on where you go to work, that would be a lot of speculation at this point,” Snyder said. “The bigger issue is that we want you to stay in Michigan because we have good jobs in Michigan, so that’s my main focus.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, states either can set up an exchange system of their own, set up a hybrid partnership with the federal government or face federal government control of the administration process.

Snyder’s press secretary Sarah Wurfel broke the news to MLive last week that there unfortunately would not be enough time to push the system through the Legislature before the fall deadline.

“The governor continues to believe that Michigan is better off making these decisions for Michigan families and businesses instead of Washington, D.C., deciding them for us,” Wurfel said in an e-mail statement to MLive.

House Republicans were reluctant to support Snyder’s state-run option, saying lawmakers didn’t have a tight enough grip on the budget consequences.

The Affordable Care Act has been a major talking point Republicans at the convention have used to bash President Barack Obama.

In his keynote speech Tuesday night, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie claimed the law would hurt doctor-patient relationships, although fact-checking organizations said the statement was false.

Snyder said he is not looking to lash out Obama like many other Republicans, but does not disagree with their approach.

“I just have a different approach,” Snyder said. “I respect my way, but I respect people with different
ideas.”