This from INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY.....

In discussing this very thing (individual mandate to purchase insurance), and I am pretty sure that mandate is in the proposed bill....
__________________

"The individual mandate is essential to the Democrats' health care vision because it's closely linked to provisions to prevent insurers from cherry-picking healthy customers or charging untenable rates to those with pre-existing conditions.

Passing insurance reforms without a mandate would encourage people to wait until they are sick to get coverage and could destroy the economics of the industry. But requiring the young and healthy to sign up would give insurers an influx of profitable customers to offset the risk of covering more people in relatively poorer health."
______________

And of course...this mandate was criticized during the campaign by our President.

Bottom line...
________________________________________
"But the government mandate to buy insurance that is central to the Democratic plans means that a slimmer-looking health bill might be largely an illusion; more of the overhaul's burden would shift to the middle class, which could be required to pay a whole lot more to buy less in the way of coverage."

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnal...aspx?id=504193

On this same subject, the Washington Post this weekend had an article questioning whether it is constitutional for the federal government to mandate that we buy insurance.....
______________

"President Obama has called for a serious and reasoned debate about his plans to overhaul the health-care system. Any such debate must include the question of whether it is constitutional for the federal government to adopt and implement the president's proposals. Consider one element known as the "individual mandate," which would require every American to have health insurance, if not through an employer then by individual purchase. This requirement would particularly affect young adults, who often choose to save the expense and go without coverage. Without the young to subsidize the old, a comprehensive national health system will not work. But can Congress require every American to buy health insurance? "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...d=opinionsbox1