The worst-case scenario from the insurance industry's standpoint? The government mandates individual coverage, but also creates a public plan offering consumers a better deal, and drawing them away from the private companies. When nine of 10 Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to President Obama on June 8 opposing the public-option plan, they argued that such a move could destroy private insurers.

"Washington-run programs undermine market-based competition through their ability to impose price controls and shift costs to other purchasers," they wrote. "Forcing free market plans to compete with these government-run programs would create an unlevel playing field and inevitably doom true competition." The nine signers have received $2.6 million from HMOs/health services and health and accident insurers to their candidate committees and leadership PACs since 1989. Of them, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) ranks 11th among all current members of Congress to get $$.

The government is indeed doing that, they don't want the competition, you will still pay insurance but to the government instead.

Another classic sign of Totalitarian Government. Centralised control of everything, of course private insurance is not the ideal situation I'm not saying that either.

Ideally it should have nothing to do with either Federal Government or private business (technically one and the same, otherwise known as Corporate Socialism) it should be left to individual states and counties.