Health-care act rolling out, glitches and all

WASHINGTON - Contentious from its conception, President Obama's health-care law has survived the Supreme Court, a battle for the White House, and rounds of budget brinkmanship. Now comes the ultimate test: the verdict of the American people.

A government shutdown could dampen the rollout Tuesday as insurance markets open around the country. But it won't stop the main components of the Affordable Care Act from going live as scheduled, glitches and all. The biggest expansion of society's safety net since Medicare will be in the hands of consumers, and most of their concerns don't revolve around ideology and policy details.

People want to know if they can afford the premiums, if the coverage will be solid, where the bureaucratic pitfalls are and if new federal and state websites will really demystify shopping for health insurance. Full answers may take months.

Expect the rollout to get off to a slow start, with some bumps.

People who don't have access to job-based health insurance can start shopping right away for subsidized private policies. Or they can wait to sign up as late as Dec. 15 and still get coverage by Jan. 1. Many will probably want to see how it goes for the first wave of applicants before they jump in.

Glitches are likely to pop up in the new online insurance markets. Over the weekend, several states were still struggling to get plan information to display accurately on their websites. Earlier, the federal government announced delays for small business and Spanish-language signups. A protracted government shutdown could slow needed technology fixes.

Consumers also could run into problems getting their right subsidy amounts. People with complicated tax returns and extended families living under the same roof could find they need personal assistance to work out the issues. Referrals to state Medicaid programs might go smoothly in some states, not so well in others.

"As this unveils, it is going to be very clear that everything can't be done on a computer," Christine Ferguson, director of Rhode Island's marketplace, said. "But by Day 60 to 120, and the year after that, it's going to get a lot more user-friendly and effective."

Eventually, at least half the nation's nearly 50 million uninsured people are expected to get coverage through the Affordable Care Act, either through subsidized private plans sold in the new markets or an expanded version of Medicaid in states accepting it for low-income adults. Immigrants in the country illegally will be the largest group remaining uninsured.