Buchanan also favors halting new Medicare regulations, and would issue vouchers to families to help pay the costs of long-term care of the elderly.

BROWN: NATL. INSURANCE

Democrat Edmund G. Brown Jr. is proposing the most drastic changes in American health care. Brown, the former governor of California, is calling for a system of national insurance similar to that of Canada.

In this system the 1500 private health insurance and public health care plans currently operating would be replaced with a single national insurance program. The program would establish set fees for doctors, hospitals and medical procedures, and would give everyone equal access to these services.

Brown also proposes increasing funding for "wellness and prevention" programs.

CLINTON: 'PAY OR PLAY'

Combining the private and public health care policies supported by the other candidates, Democrat Bill Clinton has come up with a "pay or play" model of health care. In Clinton's model, everyone would be covered either by private insurance plans provided through their employers--pay--or by a public program serving those who are uninsured or covered only by Medicaid--play. The Medicaid program would remain intact.

Clinton proposes to control health costs by negotiating fees with health care providers, encouraging the sharing of medical technology and having a federal board determine a core benefit package.

Not surprisingly, each of these health care remedies has its share of detractors as well as supporters. The Bush administration has criticized the Brown plan on the grounds that it would encourage the rationing of health care by making judgments as to which health care problems are "valid" and which are not.

In addition, though the Brown plan would be an improvement for lower income families by giving equal care to everyone, it would increase costs for middle income taxpayers while reducing their choices in treatment.

And critics of the Clinton "pay or play" proposal say that it would only reduce the amount of money available for health care since the government would have to help pay overhead expenses for thousands of insurance companies.

The Bush plan too--and the Buchanan plan, by extension--would have the down side of offering the least amount of government control, and therefore the least potential for cost control, said Blendon.

However, Bush's system would have the advantage of allowing people a choice between competing health care plans, Blendon noted.

Although Bush originally stated an intention to put his plan into effect as soon as possible, he announced last week that that will not take place anytime this year.

And with the presidential election in November, it seems likely that the final decision on which, if any, of these health care policies is implemented will rest at least in part with American voters.