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Seven years ago, Massachusetts launched its own experiment with health insurance exchanges. Those involved in that experiment say it's gone smoothly, and as a result, 97 percent of the state's residents now have health coverage. Some called the program Romneycare; some still do.

The traditional doctor-patient relationship in which a single doctor gets to know you over years will become a luxury. Those who want a personal physician will have to pay extra for that service. Doctors who chafe at working for big organizations will opt out and charge patients retainer fees.

Moving the country closer to a shutdown, the Senate rejected a House bill that funded the government but delayed a key part of Obamacare. The ball is now in the House's court.

About $29 billion in funding for the expansion of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act is expected to come from a tax on devices. Hip implants, MRI scanners and catheters to unclog heart arteries are all affected. Toothbrushes, contact lenses, hearing aids and other consumer products are exempt.

Many people aren't sure if they'll qualify for subsidized insurance. Many also don't know how much insurance might cost them. Information about premiums is now available in most places, and here's a tool to make use of it.

The Democratic-led Senate is expected on Monday afternoon to reject the latest plan from the Republican-led House. With a midnight ET deadline looming, it's looking as if a partial government shutdown can't be avoided.

If all goes as planned, people who don't have insurance will be able to shop for it on online insurance marketplaces starting Tuesday. As long as people sign up by Dec. 15, they'll be covered starting Jan. 1.

With online health-insurance markets set to open this week, it's still unclear whether healthy people will sign up. Yet the success of the program depends on them.

The House voted to tie government funding to a one-year delay of Obamacare early Sunday morning. The measure is a non-starter in the Senate and the president vows to veto, making a government shutdown all the more likely.

The new federal health law has a few exemptions from its insurance mandate, including health care sharing ministries. Members pay a monthly fee to help cover some of each other's medical costs — but there are no guarantees.