I actually think that's a reasonable (if unlikely) idea. In Australia we had a government-owned-but-run-for-profit private medical insurance company. The idea w

I actually think that's a reasonable (if unlikely) idea. In Australia we had a government-owned-but-run-for-profit private medical insurance company. The idea was that the government could use competition in the market instead of heavy-handed regulation to make the sector play nice. It worked beautifully. Great government use of a free market mechanism. (A few years ago our conservative government sold it off because they are ideologically allergic to the idea, and/or they're just corrupt fucks in the pants of corporates)