LINCOLN (AP) Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman turned to the public Wednesday for suggestions on how to create an online, statewide marketplace for health insurance, a key piece of the federal health care law designed to steer users toward a coverage plan.

The Republican governor announced a series of meetings that will start later this month and be held throughout the state. Health care providers and advocates for children, the poor, taxpayers and the insurance industry have been invited to participate.

“We’re trying to keep the process very open, very public,” Heineman said at a news conference. “We want to hear from citizens, and we think now is the appropriate time now that we’re getting a lot closer to this final decision.”

The public meetings come as the state prepares a blueprint for a so-called health exchange that is due to the federal government on Nov. 16. The online markets allow consumers and small businesses to shop for health insurance and see if they qualify for federal tax credits aimed at lower-income residents.

Heineman repeated his opposition to any proposals to extend Medicaid coverage to more Nebraska residents. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government cannot penalize states that choose not to expand Medicaid, as was required in the federal law.

Health care advocates argue that the Medicaid expansion is critical: Unless more Nebraskans are allowed to participate, some will have incomes too high to qualify for the program but too low to receive the federal tax credits.

The federal law picks up the entire cost of covering more people for the first three years, and then drops to 90 percent, with states covering the remaining 10 percent. Supporters say it’s a great deal compared to current Medicaid rates wherein Washington pays as little as half of the cost in some states.

Heineman said the expansion would drain state money that should instead go to K-12 public schools, colleges and the University of Nebraska.

Supporters of the federal health care law cheered Wednesday’s announcement, although some said the Legislature still needs to create an independent governing board to oversee the health exchange. Nebraska Department of Insurance Director Bruce Ramge has said the Department of Insurance, under Heineman’s administration, is the best equipped to handle the duties.

Omaha Sen. Jeremy Nordquist, a Democrat who supports the federal health care law, introduced a measure during this year’s session that would have created a 12-member oversight board. The proposal was shelved, as state officials waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the health care law.

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