Everybody loves an exciting finish. Remember the end of the Alabama/Auburn game this past season when a field goal attempt returned 108 yards for a touchdown? Super Bowl parties are always more fun when it's a close game. Great stories and competitions hook us and keep us interested. And then there is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Those of us in the benefits profession are watching this story unfold a little differently than the general public and it's not easy to know what the public is thinking. Are people interested in website complications and changing deadlines? How many people enrolled in the exchanges? Are people concerned about penalties assessed if they don't have mandatory coverage? I suspect we will understand a lot more about public perception once the first penalty, err, tax is paid.

Unlike a movie tragedy or sports finale we watch for entertainment, the results of PPACA are going to stick around for a while. Open enrollment is complete and much has being done to work out the kinks related to the exchanges. Individuals must comply with the mandate that requires a person to be covered by qualifying health insurance in 2014 or pay a penalty.