This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Tuesday, December 15, 2009.

I'm Caleb Brown.

The health care debate has sadly been dominated by several myths.

You won't pay more for health insurance. You can keep the

insurance you like. Taxes won't rise and the bill costs what Congress says it will

cost. At best, says Mike Tanner, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, their myths, at worst, their lies.

One of the most important things that is being said in this health care debate that is extremely misleading is the idea that if you have

health insurance today and you like it you will be able to keep it. It is almost certain

under the health care bills that are being debated in Congress right now that

that's not the case.

For example, there is an individual mandate in both the House and Senate versions of this bill

and an employer mandate in the House version that

requires that everyone buy insurance and employers provide insurance, but not

just any insurance. Your insurance must meet a specific package of benefits that the government has set out.

Those benefits may be more expensive than your current policy, they may be benefits you don't want,

or even benefits that you're morally opposed to.

But you will have to change your current

insurance plan to comply with that mandated minimum set of benefits. In addition,

plans like

flexible spending accounts will be virtually eliminated. Plans like flexible spending accounts will be severely restricted.

The Medicare Advantage Program for seniors will be largely eliminated.

These are all ways in which people will lose their current insurance.

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