Let's be honest. In the history of American health care, the year 2013 won't exactly go down as a time that went as smoothly as one of President Barack Obama's campaign speeches.

At mid-year, most observers could see some of the downsides: rising premiums and dropped policies. Deadlines had to be pushed back, and some parts of the law demanded rewrite.

And by October — when the exchanges rolled out — there were (are) glitches with state websites and www.healthcare.gov, which prompted calls for Silicon Valley to rescue the $600 million mess. Tea Party Republicans partially closed the government in an attempt at political blackmail, while Democrats quickly distanced themselves from the program's failures. It was difficult for any good news about PPACA — such as reduced premiums for some consumers and the ability for people with pre-existing conditions to buy coverage again — to cut through the media morass.