Sebelius backs public health insurance option

The government needs to create a public health insurance plan because many parts of the country are monopolized by a single private health insurer, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. Sebelius said that a new public health insurance plan would benefit consumers by providing more competition in the market and holding down costs. In "many areas in the country, the private market is monopolized by one carrier," Sebelius told the Wall Street Journal. "You don't have a choice for consumers. And what we know in any kind of market is a monopoly doesn't give much incentive for other innovation or for cost-effective strategies."