The government should get out of health care, but not entirely and not yet, GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul told the Congressional Health Caucus Wednesday.

Rep. Ron Paul speaks at the GOP presidential debate Nov. 12, 2011 in Spartanburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

“Probably the worst thing we ever did was make medical care the responsibility of the government,” the Texas Republican told the group of Republican colleagues and staffers. Other important resources, such as food, are successfully provided through the free market, he added. “The truth is that the market is the only compassionate system,” he said.

But he said he would not change any aspect of Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors, for current beneficiaries. Instead, younger people should be allowed to opt out of the program and use medical savings accounts or other means to pay their own health care costs, including through tax deductions, he said…