Since President Obama passed health care reform in late March, there has been no bigger supporter of the bill in his home state than Illinois Insurance Director Michael McRaith. In interviews with PI and other media outlets, McRaith has heralded the temporary expansion of Illinois' high-risk insurance pools, the provisions protecting against rescission, and other new regulations. In short, he's ready to oversee much-needed changes in the insurance market.

One worry McRaith does have is that insurance companies may try to gouge their clients before the new regulatory framework is installed. On Capitol Hill earlier this week, he testified in support of a Senate Democratic proposal empowering the Secretary of Health and Human Services to halt or modify unjustified health insurance rate increases and force insurance companies to pay rebates to mistreated customers. Currently, 22 states (including Illinois) can't review premiums changes on the individual market before they go into effect. "There is a distinct possibility," McRaith said, "that less responsible companies will raise rates to price out people who are sick or might become sick between now and 2014."

Before leaving the stand, McRaith also rebutted America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) President Karen Ignagni's effort to downplay insurance industry profits in relation to national health care costs. The Wonk Room captured the discussion, which begins at 2:22 (McRaith jumps in at 3:04). Watch it: