What They Said Before, What is True Now...

This is unconstitutional, forcing me (or anyone else for that matter) to take health insurance under threat of fines and/or jail time. If the government wants to offer a health plan at a reduced cost, or free (a sliding fee scale is appropriate), and offered it as an alternative, then I would gladly step up and use it. But FORCING me to take it is wrong.

Here's an option, offer scholarships to medical students (doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals), the catch is when you graduate, you have to work in a government health care facility for 5 years, you will get paid, just not as much as you would if you had paid for your own schooling and worked on your own after school. If they don't finish their 5 years, then they have to pay back all the money the government paid to send them to school. The other "catch" is you have to be a US citizen to get the scholarship, and you have to be a US citizen to be able to get low cost or free care, if you are not a legal citizen, then you can get emergency care, saving your life, limb or eyesight, then if you aren't here legally, you get a free ticket back to your country of origin. I would go for something like that.