I find the most annoying aspect of this is that there is no debate in the government. It's going to happen. Transparency was the battle cry of "Hope and Change" (TM). Now we've got reconciliation taking place behind closed doors.
There could have been other options besides the ones they've decided upon, such as tort reform and making health insurance like car insurance, where you can shop in other states to find insurance.
Ask yourself this: If the program that we will be getting is so good, why is Congress exempt?