Despite the noise being made from the lunatic fringe of the Republican party about shutting down the government in an effort to force the defunding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the reality we're all facing is that the implementation of the ACA is set to begin in earnest over the next couple of months. For those of us who aren't intimately familiar with the effects that ACA will have on our lives there are now a few resources we can access to try and understand where this law is going to take us. Those resources include:

• The Nevada Department of Insurance's site dedicated to explaining the ACA and allowing folks to get quotes for the various plans available through the state's exchange/marketplace. Obviously the quotes won't apply to non-residents of Nevada, but the general information is useful to non-residents and the pricing should be someone relevant to other states, especially when it comes to subsidies for lower income individuals and families.
• The Triad Business Journal has an article about Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina's announcement of its rates this coming Thursday and what we North Carolinians will likely be looking at come the October 1 deadline for insurers to make their rates public.
• The US Census' site that shows how many uninsured there are in NC by demographics, which is a good indicator of how many people will be eligible for coverage and subsidies under the ACA.

While it's nearly impossible for anyone to predict exactly what's going to happen with the implementation of the ACA, it's becoming increasingly clear that major changes in the health care marketplace are afoot. One thing I personally hope to see is that the NC market for health insurance grows more competitive. We've had what is for all intents and purposes a duopoly in this state for years and it would be great to have more viable, competitive insurers to choose from.