The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports it is working on completing the list of health insurance plans that will be made public Oct. 1, when people can begin signing up for coverage that will start Jan. 1. That gives the uninsured a three-month window to comply with the Affordable Care Act's mandate for individuals to have health insurance by Jan. 1 or face penalties at tax time in April.

"It's frustrating that we are not going to be able to get a preview," said Jim Carnes, spokesman for Alabama Arise, a Montgomery-based organization that addresses issues affecting Alabama's poor. Because of that, Carnes predicts a slow start to people signing up.

The Affordable Care Act calls for each state to have an insurance marketplace, either run by the state government or federal government, to help the uninsured find coverage. The federal government is creating the marketplace in Alabama because Gov. Robert Bentley is an opponent of the federal law and opted for Alabama not to participate. The marketplace is also referred to as an exchange.