In New Hampshire, House and Senate lawmakers have moved toward agreement on a scaled-back version of a bill intended to align New Hampshire insurance rules with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.
The state insurance commissioner had argued that a wide range of changes were necessary to preserve the state's traditional role in regulating insurance plans.
But opponents of the bill cast the original as an attempt to move New Hampshire toward a state-operated marketplace, something specifically prohibited by state law.
In the end, House and Senate negotiators drafted a new three-paragraph bill to replace the 15-page original that addressed issues such as the demographic factors insurance companies can use in setting rates.
The committee plans to meet again today.
