This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Thursday, August 30th, 2007.

I'm Caleb Brown.

Every presidential candidate has a plan for your health care,

how you get it, and how you or someone else pays for it.

Michael Tanner is the director of the Cato Institute's Health and Welfare Studies,

says most of the plans mean a highly regulated-dominated health care marketplace,

says the focus of American health care should be individuals,

not continued employer-based health insurance.

What's the common thread for the Democrats' health care reform plans?

All the Democratic candidates have embraced the idea of

universal coverage brought about

through greater government involvement in health care. The details of their

plans different but in every case they would have the government essentially

provide insurance to Americans. It's generally a form of insurance known as managed competition

in which you still have private insurers but they operate sort of like a

public utility. A lot of government regulation, a lot of government

of government subsidies essentially the government would be in control of

our health care. Now Mitt Romney his plan in Massachusetts was predicated

on extending greater coverage through a mandate that people simply have coverage.

That wasn't part of his national plan and now that he's actually unveiled a plan he's essentially abandoned a lot of

that but what is he offering? Well Mitt Romney was sort of for Romney care

before he was against it and I guess when it comes to health care it's better to be John

...