Opting out of health reform.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

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States share a complicated relationship with the federal government in regulating various aspects of the health insurance market and in enacting health reforms.

In response to federal health reform legislation, members of at least 11 state legislatures are using the legislative process to limit, alter or oppose certain possible federal actions, including single-payer provisions and mandates that would require the purchase of insurance.

Arizona has proposed a state constitutional amendment that says, in part: "To preserve the freedom of all residents of the state to provide for their own health care... A law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care...