Oh, And...

Echidne explains why, economically, the individual mandate is necessary in Health Care Reform.

My view is that the HCR went wrong when it insisted on sticking with the insurance model, even if the political reasons for that can be understood. Once it did that, however, most everything else that happened was a logical consequence of that initial decision, including the individual mandate.

Alternatives to that model exist all over the place. Indeed, almost all other industrialized countries have something different. But that "something different" is seen as communism here. So we are stuck.

I really need to do some research, and on something other than rock bands. ;-)