Q&A: LA Care Health Plan CEO John Baackes on the co-existence of a public option and private insurance Share this: is the CEO of LA Care Health Plan, a public health insurance plan providing coverage to over two million underserved individuals in California. Baackes refers to LA Care as the only functioning public option in the country, serving as an anchor in the state’s health insurance market to ensure the availability of affordable health care for low-income Californians. In this Q&A, Baackes describes how although he believes public health insurance options are a great solution to high uninsured rates, they should exist in tandem with commercial plans rather than replacing them entirely. He also discusses LA Care’s continued effort to cover more undocumented individuals, his frustration at the lack of safety net-focused bills in the legislature and how his organization is addressing health disparities in California.