How is Obamacare Playing Out After 8 Weeks?

How well is the Affordable Care Act working? 

Depends on where you live. 

In August, USA TODAY reporters chronicled how residents of three states — California, Texas and West Virginia — were preparing for the Oct. 1 debut of the health care program, President Obama's signature legislative achievement. Now, eight weeks into its rocky rollout, that trio of states provides a window into the setbacks and successes of the controversial law:

• In California, which is running the biggest of the state-run exchanges, its website launched with far fewer difficulties than the problem-plagued federal HealthCare.gov and saw enrollment ramp up in November. In its first month, over 35,000 residents enrolled, accounting for about a third of those who signed up nationwide.

• In Texas, home to the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation and a place where state officials opposed the law at every step, the program got off to a bumpy start. Texas, like many other states, did not create its own exchange, so residents are dependent on the balky HealthCare.gov. In the first month, 2,991 residents signed up for a plan through the system, according to federal figures released last week.

• In West Virginia, only 174 people enrolled, according to the Department of Health and Human Services numbers. But state officials have had success on their own, getting their poorest residents to enroll directly in its expanded version of Medicaid, the federal program that provides health care for low-income people. About 54,700 people have enrolled since October, cutting the state's uninsured population by about 25%.

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