Ron Paul Unplugged: Get Government Out of Health Care

Dec. 13, 2007 — -- Over the last few months, I've heard from hundreds of viewers who said that I should interview unconventional Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. So I did.

In our interview, published exclusively on ABCNEWS.com, we talk about the Iraq war, when war is justified, the proper role of government, immigration, drug use, prostitution, gay marriage, and more.

In this segment, we discuss the 72-year-old Texas congressman's surprising popularity with young people, and then, at greater length, his thoughts on health care. You can watch the full interview here.

Paul's libertarian platform of individual freedom, and freedom from most government regulation, has resonated with young voters.

He's the most Googled presidential candidate, and his videos are the most watched on YouTube. He's a hit on the Internet, a space mostly inhabitated by young voters.

"Freedom is a young idea. Tyranny is an old idea," he told me.

"Young people tend to be more principled, and they like that, and they know I've been dedicated to the principles of the Constitution, and they welcome the idea of somebody that talks about leaving them alone, letting them run their own lives."

When it comes to one of the thorniest issues in the presidential race — health care — Paul has firsthand experience.

He is an obstetrician-gynecologist who has delivered more than 4,000 babies. In his practice, he never accepted Medicare or Medicaid — the government health insurance programs for the poor and elderly — because he objects to government involvement in health care.

"We've had the government involved in our medical care system since the early '70s, we've had managed care. And all of a sudden, nobody's happy with it," Paul said in our interview.

Paul has even gone as far as taking the lonely position of saying government shouldn't provide health insurance for poor children.

What would happen to those kids under his administration? Paul replied by talking about his early experience as a doctor.