"...first time the government has forced us to buy a product" MY ASS!

[treestar]

86. That was the point. Everyone needs health care

and that is why Justice Ginsburg argued that the mandate doesn't offend the Commerce Clause. Everyone is a potential needer of health care. That's what makes it different.

You can have a body, but you can choose whether or not to go to the doctor. If you don't want health coverage, you generally can't afford to go to the doctor, so that's a choice not to enter the market for medical services. Insurance is just a way of paying it. The only reason people buy health insurance is the potential for high costs - higher than you can afford out of pocket. If costs were so low, say relatively no more than food or clothes, people wouldn't need insurance to pay for it.

The only people who wouldn't need insurance on it are the rich. If $10,000 for a stay in the hospital is not a big deal to pay out, then one need not bother. Though even they will get insurance, because of illnesses that can cost a lot even for them.