This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008. I'm Caleb Brown.

At least three competing health care reform plans will be ready and waiting for congressional action come January.

According to Cato Senior Fellow Michael Tanner, the plans from President-elect Obama, Senator

Kennedy, and Senator Baucus all share some terrible qualities.

While I look at these three and it's sort of like asking me which flavor of castor oil do I want to drink.

None of these bills or plans or almost plans should see the light of day.

But there are a couple of things that are better than others in them.

For example, President

elect Obama has opposed an individual mandate which is something that's

contained in the Baucus bill and presumably will be part of the Kennedy plan as well.

And Senator Baucus seems to be willing to take on the tax advantage for employer-provided health

insurance. He's not willing to eliminate it, but he wants to cap it.

That's something that Barack Obama attacked John McCain for during the campaign.

What is the enduring popularity of that tying health insurance to an employer?

There's no logical reason why your boss should pick your health insurance.

After all, your boss doesn't pick your life insurance your homeowners insurance your auto insurance

it's really an historical accident if you will it came out of World War II when

there was simultaneously wage and price controls and a labor shortage because all the guys

were over at the front.

You couldn't compete for the labor that was left by raising wages so people started offering

health insurance as a French benefit and then the

IRS in the early 1950s codified that as a tax-free benefit so it basically gives you a tax

...