Happy Obamacare Day!

Despite the alleged federal government shutdown (read: the national parks are closed but the NSA sleazeballs are still reading your email, because park rangers are not considered "essential" federal employees but spies who use the constitution as toilet paper are), today is apparently the day Obamacare's insurance-marketplace exchange rule kicks in, so if you're not already making regular payouts to a private company with excellent political connections, you'd better start.

Of course, the rule about small employers being required to cover their employees has been delayed for at least a month. And the rule limiting how much money individuals with insurance are required to pay for out-of-pocket for care has also been delayed, until at least 2015. Looks like the only part of the law to kick in on schedule is the part where you can start paying premiums to a private health insurance company, whether you can afford to or not.

No fear, though. I'm sure that criminalizing the lack of health insurance will work out just as well and as humanely as criminalizing drug addiction has.