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A 54-year-old California man has never had health insurance and wasn't much interested in the debate over the Affordable Care Act. But after some recent health setbacks, he is eager to sign up for coverage made possible by the law.

As Coloradans begin shopping for health insurance via the newly opened exchange, the Division of Insurance is looking into letters some people say they鈥檝e鈥�

Pardit Pri left her job as a legal assistant when she had a baby. She thought she'd be able to find a new job with health insurance, but so far has found only contract work with no benefits. She's not sure if her state's new health exchange will make sense for her, given her uncertain income.

There was a party atmosphere at Affordable Care Act events both in California, where the law has been embraced by the state government, and in Virginia, where it has been resisted. But consumers will have very different experiences in the two states.

Florida resisted implementing the Affordable Care Act. Now, in the absence of the state encouraging people to sign up for insurance on exchanges set up under it, other groups have stepped in.

Navigators are a key part of the health law rollout. They work at nonprofit organizations, and they're being trained to help people learn about their coverage options. In some areas that training is still going on, even though the exchanges are up and running.

The website may have been struggling under the demand, but one early user of Colorado's new health exchange said it still provided information that should prove useful in sorting out coverage needs. The state has been working on the exchange since 2007, and it's enjoyed strong bipartisan support.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., the state's insurance website was live. In almost no time there had been more than 100,000 visits, and someone had already enrolled by 9:30. But throughout the morning, it was tough to get the website to load.

The federal health law enters a new phase now that consumers can finally kick the tires on health insurance in the marketplaces created for the uninsured and those who buy their own coverage. Window shopping is fine for now because the key deadline for coverage doesn't come until December.

The Affordable Care Act, often called 鈥淥bamacare,鈥� takes a big step forward Oct. 1 when new health insurance marketplaces open for enrollment. Rural鈥�