Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani wants to move tens of millions of people from employer-based health insurance to the individual market as a way of giving people more coverage choices, since it is his belief that the US health-care system’s major problem is a lack of consumer choice. Giuliani’s solution is a free market; he envisions a system where neither state regulations nor federal tax law push people into expensive plans rich in unnecessary benefits. Giuliani believes that health insurance should be more like car insurance, where people pay out of pocket for minor repairs and maintenance.

He does not want to get rid of employer-based coverage, but instead wants to shift to an individual insurance marketplace covering three times more people. He also rejects a government mandate that all individuals purchase coverage because the government would have to subsidize for those who can’t afford insurance, which would drive up costs for those who can. Giuliani wants to implement state regulations requiring companies to offer a variety of benefits and be able to buy insurance from any company in any state. He also embraces Bush’s proposal to give a tax break to those who buy insurance—currently it is only available for those who participate in an employer’s plan.