Mitch Daniels must make a big decision regarding health care reform before he leaves office as governor and, as a result, he sought input from all 3 of the candidates for governor.

Under the President’s health care reform law, health insurance exchanges will be created where people without health insurance can go to acquire it.  Indiana can create its own, simply leave it to the federal government, or start a so-called hybrid exchange.

Democrat John Gregg returned from a meeting with Governor Daniels to say that he’s leaning toward a hybrid health insurance exchange.  “Based on the facts we have today,” said Gregg, “that the hybrid system which allows for federal and state partnership which allows for shared costs significantly reducing the state’s financial obligations.”

It’s the same position that Libertarian Rupert Boneham took telling the governor that, “In a Hybrid exchange Indiana would retain control over plan management and customer assistance.. and that costs can be deferred back to Heath and Human Services.”

Republican Mike Pence took a different approach.  In a letter to Daniels he said his “recommendation is that the state of Indiana should not establish or operate a state-based insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act.  In a word, he said, Indiana should say no to implementing Obamacare.”

If Pence tried to politicize the matter, the Gregg campaign responded in kind.  “Congressman Pence has chosen to do nothing,” said Gregg running mate Vi Simpson, “and in doing so he has chosen to abdicate his responsibility and throw Hoosiers under the federal bureaucratic bus.”

John Gregg, meanwhile still hasn’t endorsed the Affordable Care Act.  “I want to make it clear that it doesn’t matter whether you support the Affordable Care Act or you don’t support the federal care act, it’s the law,” he said.

Mitch Daniels must decide what to do in mid-November.

All this tells you that health insurance reform is not popular in Indiana.  John Gregg is trying to find a way to make it an issue that will work for him without opposing it, while Mike Pence believes his position is already a winner.