Update Oct 1: Covered California, the state's website at which you can purchase health insurance for 2014, is now open.
Original post
We're five days out from the opening of the state-run health exchanges, a keystone of Obamacare, and the law's proponents and naysayers have been amping up the rhetoric. President Obama delivered a stem-winder today at a Washington, D.C. community college to promote the law; check out the video at C-Span. For equal time, here is the transcript of Sen. Ted Cruz's marathon speech against the ACA. It's not exactly a model of concise argumentation, but there's something in there for everyone, including a reading of Dr. Seuss' "Sam I Am."
Politics aside, some of you will no doubt be making use of the law to shop for insurance. If so, you'll want to go to the Covered California website, where you'll be able to sign up for health plans starting Oct. 1. The administration yesterday released a state-by-state breakdown of average monthly costs for individuals and families purchasing insurance through the exchanges. The San Jose Mercury News took a look at the California data:
If no federal subsidy is attached, the individual premium for a mid-range benchmark policy will average $328 a month nationally, according to the Health and Human Services Department. But in California, which leads the country in uninsured residents and is running its own exchange, that plan will cost $373.
Our State of Health blog has been providing in-depth coverage leading up to the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and has also created Obamacare Explained: A Guide for Californians. Take a look ...