In a mere 24 hours, the tea party town-criers have been reduced from dire apocalyptic warnings about the end of liberty and freedom, to whining ACA sites are loading slowly. The horror! That's an interesting twist into arguably the biggest immediate threat posed by the ACA to the GOP naysayers. It isn't just that people will come to like the low rates and guaranteed acceptance offered under the ACA over time. A more immediate problem for the usual suspects is millions of people have already found out that the dreaded Obamacare, the socialized government invasion that would bring Lady Liberty down on her knees, is really just a boring website full of insurance policies and coverage info.
Bear in mind the actual application process for any insurance is a bit lengthy. Policies offered under the ACA are no exception. If you only want to get a handle on what states are where with respect to Medicaid expansion, click the 50 state image above to go to a detailed bitmap showing that data. If all you want is an accurate estimate of how much a middle of the road policy might cost you, this tool at the Kaiser Foundation will do that for you.
If you want to know your state's progress on the ACA, I've linked a report on some to the state name. Lastly, if you want to actually shop for real rates, you'll need to click the appropriate state exchange or Healthcare.gov link below, create a screen name and password, and then follow the prompts, where you will fill in lots more information.
Be advised, one item the HIX's and fed HIX are sticklers for is identity verification. Be prepared to verify your identity several times by answering a wide array of questions to help HHS or your state HIX keep your info secure. And in part because of record traffic, and in part because the HIX websites have to interlock with many other sites to help you apply, most sites are going slow and/or will be down intermittently.
You're welcome to give these links the once over, I'm posting it as a nuts and bolts diary and to act as a one stop tool for those shopping for coverage.