Comparison of Health Insurance Markets New Jersey (NJ) and California (CA) have similar insurance regulations and coverage rates. According to recent statistics, 93% of the total population in CA is covered at the present moment, compared to 92% in NJ (Sheen, 2019; “New Jersey,” n.d.). Relatively high coverage rates may be due to individual mandates passed in both of the states and their acceptance of the Medicaid expansion. It is observed that within just 3 years after the expansion initiative took effect in CA, the uninsured rate has decreased by about 60% (Norris, 2018a). As for NJ, the after-expansion Medicaid enrollment rate has increased there by 36% (Norris, 2018b). At the same time, while NJ has adopted the legislation requiring all residents either to get health insurance or to pay a tax penalty in 2018, CA has enforced the same legislation just recently, in July 2019 (Norris, 2019; Sheen, 2019). According to Norris (2019), insurance premiums have decreased in NJ due to this measure. Thus, it is valid to presume that monthly premiums in CA may drop in the future as well. As for major differences in the healthcare markets in the selected states, they are the number of carriers and the starting monthly coverage costs. According to Norris (2019), there are just three insurers in NJ at the present moment. In contrast, the number of major actors in CA exchange is 8 (“How much does health insurance cost,” n.d.). When it comes to monthly premiums, coverage in CA is more affordable than in NJ, and the cheapest plan price there is currently USD 187, whereas in NJ, the minimum price is UAS 375 (“How much does health insurance cost,” n.d.). It means that a greater variety of insurance plans is available to CA residents. Health Statistics The selected states are very close to each other in terms of their health rankings. In 2018, CA was ranked 12th, whereas NJ was ranked 11th (United Health Foundation [UHF], 2018). The states also have commonalities in terms of the leading causes of death in their populations. They include heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, influenza/pneumonia, and diabetes (National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS], 2017a; NCHS, 2017b). Nevertheless, NJ residents also often die as a result of Alzheimer’s disease, septicemia, and kidney disease, which are less common among CA residents (NCHS, 2017a; NCHS, 2017b). In their turn, people living in CA frequently die due to hypertension and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis (NCHS, 2017b). Partially, these differences may be explained by dissimilarities in environmental and lifestyle factors. The selected states have some unalike public health strengths, and their residents face a few disparate health-related challenges. For instance, NJ enjoys a low level of infant mortality (only 4.4 deaths per 1,000 live births) and has a high rate of practicing dentists (UHF, 2018). Infant mortality is also insignificant in CA and equals 4.3 deaths per 1,000 live births (UHF, 2018). However, besides that, CA has low occupational fatality rates and a small prevalence of adult obesity (UHF, 2018). When it comes to challenges, the states share a low level of immunization coverage amon