ACA checkup: Is it working?

In October, it looked as if the opposition strategy was going to work. A minority of states decided to set up their own Affordable Care Act marketplaces, so the federal government was going to have to pick up more of the load. The air was thick with frightening allegations of destructive fine print that wasn't in the law. Governors against the new policy worked hard to try and make the law fail, and did their bit by blocking the expansion of Medicaid in their states.

Then, on its big debut, the HealthCare.gov website didn't work.

The enrollment period ran until the end of March, and plenty of analysts felt confident the administration's hoped-for 7 million enrollees would simply not materialize. The Department of Health and Human Services started to say, quietly, that maybe 6 million would be enough.

Now it's mid-April, and the president has announced 8 million enrollees. It seems like a legitimate point to stop and ask: Is it going to work?

How’s the president’s signature domestic initiative working?

Will the latest news play well in November’s midterms?

Is the debate about whether there should be an ACA over?

We consulted a panel of experts for the Inside Story.

The above panel was assembled for the broadcast of "Inside Story" to discuss.

For future hard-hitting conversations, find Al Jazeera America on your TV.