NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says Tennessee could design its own health insurance exchange required under Democratic President Barack Obama's health care law, but resistance in the GOP-controlled General Assembly may cause the state to hand that power off to the federal government.

States have until Friday to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if they plan to set up their own health insurance markets, and Haslam's decision could come down to the wire.

The governor opposes the new health care law but said he can see reasons for not deferring the exchange to federal government.

"There are a lot of benefits to the state running it ourselves, because we're going to run anything better than the federal government," he said.

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