Then end result looked more like a sellout to Big Pharma and the insurance companies.

As far as the constitutionality goes - there is none. There is NOTHING in the U.S. Constitution that says the government can FORCE you to buy something. Oh - they can make rules for a quid-pro-quo - You want to drive that car on the road? You have to insure it. ...but they don't make you buy "walker's insurance".

And why is it that INDIVIDUALS are mandated yet special interests can opt-out? That sound unconstitutional under the "equal protection under the law" clause.

It may have started as a bold initiative, but that didn't survive the first cut.