I don’t understand how anyone can believe the government can compel someone to make a particular purchase. Even if someone buys the premise non-activity in the health insurance market is in fact participation, and therefore can be regulated under the commerce clause, I do not understand how purchasing a product can be compelled. There has to be much more to allow this.
The mandate is nothing more than a quip-pro-quo to the insurance companies to compensate them for the requirement to cover those with pre-existing conditions. It is a direct subsidy.
There are other ways to drive the necessary purchase of health insurance (tax credits, etc.). The individual mandate would set a precident for the federal government to mandate the purchase of anything. It is not narrow, because ObamaCare requirements are so broad.
mandate you join a gym
mandate you buy a certain number of fruits and veggies each week
mandate you provide contraceptives to your children
all in the name of “health”
Yep... like we can’t see it coming