Health care gets a checkup

Since the end of November, with promised improvements appearing in the HealthCare.gov website, the Obama administration has shifted from defending the Affordable Care Act to promoting it.

On Wednesday, we learned that more than 364,000 people had signed up for insurance through the end of November. The number represented a marked improvement over the October figures, though it was still much lower than the 1.2 million that had been expected by this point.

Less than two weeks remain before Dec. 23, the deadline for Americans to sign up for insurance if they want it to kick in when the new year starts. So where do we stand?

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE HEALTH CARE LAW:

• Enrollment in Obamacare insurance rises sharply in November
The increasing numbers of Americans signing up for health coverage are fueling renewed optimism among supporters of the Affordable Care Act, who hope that fixes to the federal site could rescue the law, known as Obamacare, from its disastrous debut. (Los Angeles Times)

• Poll: Health Law Hurts President Politically
The federal health-care law is becoming a heavier political burden for President Barack Obama and his party, despite increased confidence in the economy and the public's own generally upbeat sense of well-being, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests. Disapproval of Mr. Obama's job performance hit an all-time high in the poll, at 54%, amid the flawed rollout of the health law. Half of those polled now consider the law a bad idea, also a record high. (Wall Street Journal)