Government-provided insurance is not necessarily better than properly regulated private insurance. Consider the current situation in California vs. Illinois. U

Government-provided insurance is not necessarily better than properly regulated private insurance. Consider the current situation in California vs. Illinois. Under the federal HIPAA law, individuals coming off group plans must have an option available to purchase a new plan without the possibility of denial due to pre-existing conditions. It is up to each state, however, to decide exactly how this will be implemented. In Illinois, it is implemented as a state-provided insurance plan. In California, it is implemented through regulation of private insurance companies. I have a very costly pre-existing condition and I can tell you which one I'd rather be on: California. The reason is that the Illinois government is basically insolvent. Right now they are engaged in a political battle where even the state's lawmakers are threatened with not receiving a paycheck due to budgetary issues. This does not inspire my confidence that I want my health insurance provided by that organization (the state). However, in California, I have Blue Shield, and no worries about its imminent dysfunction due to budget problems and political games. The insurance I get is expensive compared to what is optimal, but at least it is there.