Colorado: Microcosm of confusion on health law

USA TODAY: … In Colorado and across the country, the insurance marketplaces known as exchanges are scheduled to open Tuesday, and the success or failure of Obama’s signature legislative achievement is at stake. Passing the health care overhaul defined much of his first term in the White House, and defending it from Republican assault has defined much of his second — including in the current budget showdown.

Americans who don’t have insurance, or who have been buying individual policies, or who work for some small businesses, are urged to go online to shop for plans and to determine if they’re eligible for federal tax credits to help cover the cost. Whether the system is easy to navigate and the plans judged a good value are likely to set attitudes toward a law that at the moment remains unpopular — shaping Obama’s legacy.

USA TODAY decided to explore the issue in Colorado, one of the nation’s most critical swing states and the place where Barack Obama was nominated for president in 2008 with a pledge to overhaul the nation’s health care system. The news organization sponsored a statewide poll this month and convened a focus group of 10 Denver-area residents who don’t have health insurance… (more)

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