By ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says Tennessee will not create a state-run health insurance exchange, but the Republican governor says he remains undecided about whether to expand Medicaid.

MORE INFO:  Bill Haslam's entire statement

Haslam said the lack of information from the federal government about the insurance marketplaces was "scary" and that he considered it a business decision to let the federal government run the program.

Haslam acknowledged that getting a state-run exchange approved by the Legislature would be a difficult prospect.

Many Republican lawmakers ran for office on a platform of opposing President Barack Obama's health care plan. Tea party supporters protested the idea of a state-run exchange outside the Capitol last week, deriding it as "Haslamcare."

The governor said a decision on Medicaid expansion may not come until after the Legislature adjourns this spring.

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