The folks in Illinois have caught on to a good idea. Guess the Chicago Chamber people have been talking to the Cleveland Council of Smaller Enterprises about how big you can get when you’re the only game in town for hundreds of small business owners who sometimes find the burden of health insurance costs prohibitive to making a living.

“Illinois is putting together a clearinghouse of resources and a consortium to help small businesses buy health insurance. The effort was boosted by a $75,000 grant from the state to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce to study the needs of small-business firms and the benefits of grouping companies into large pools to improve insurance buying power and preserve jobs.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Hope this works out for them. Chicago’s my hometown and I’m surprised it’s taken them this long. But maybe small business owners aren’t quite as pressed there–since the city has so many people to patronize them that making a living might be a bit easier there.