Today Senate Democrats cleared the final hurdle for President Obama’s healthcare bill, advancing the measure for a 7 a.m. passage vote on Christmas Eve.

The bill forces 44 million Americans to buy heath insurance under the penalty of law and does nothing to break up the insurance monopoly that would create choice for consumers and introduce real reform in America.

In what Democrat Howard Dean described as “a bigger bailout for insurance companies than the one given to AIG”, the government is assigning the expense of covering the uninsured to the tax payer, while mandating the creation of millions of new customers for the insurance industry.

Provisions in Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) healthcare proposal forces anyone who fails to buy a health insurance plan to pay an annual tax penalty of $750 per adult family member and $375 per child, or up to a maximum penalty of $2,250 per family.

The Senate voted 60-39 to reject an effort led by Sen. Ensign (R-NV) and Sen. DeMint (R-SC) to examine the constitutionality of a health care mandate central to the overhaul bill.

The "personal responsibility" provision of the legislation, more accurately known as the "individual mandate" commands all individuals to enter into a contractual relationship with a private insurance company.

“I don't believe Congress has the legal or moral authority to force this mandate on its citizens," said Ensign, raising the question of whether the federal government can require Americans to purchase a product.

There is simply no downside for the insurance industry. Stocks go up when companies are perceived to make more money in the future. Stocks of the nations top three health insurers, WellPoint, United Health Group and Aetna are up 10-15% since November 17, 2009.

The younger, healthier people who use health care less, will be forced to purchase a policy, making the risk pool less expensive to insure. Insurers will remain an unreformed monopoly being guaranteed more customers by the government.

Those who can’t afford a policy will either qualify for Medicaid or apply for a government subsidy. Everyone else, hire a lawyer. Not having health insurance will just become a criminal offense.