Ill. Governor Candidates Split On Health Care

CHRISTOPHER WILLS

CHICAGO (AP) — Candidates for Illinois governor are split over a national health care plan with all but one Republican saying the state should opt out if it can, a position rejected by Democrats Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes.

Democrats in Washington are considering whether to include a public option — that is, a government-managed health insurance program — in any health care overhaul they try to pass. To make that public option more palatable to doubters, some advocates are pushing to let individual states drop out if they wish.

"If I wanted to be part of socialized medicine, I'd move to Europe," state Sen. Kirk Dillard said at a Republican gubernatorial debate Thursday in Chicago.

All but one of the seven Republican candidates running for governor have said they would want Illinois to opt out of a public option.

Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan is the one exception. Ryan said he didn't know enough about the health care proposal to say what he would do, although he admits having "reservations" about the public option because of its cost.