It might turn out better than critics expect. It might even be modestly successful. But you’ll probably never know it, because the sweeping new healthcare program known as Obamacare will have a PR problem for generations.

With the first big phase of the program due to begin October 1, when state-level exchanges offering healthcare insurance open up, we’re finally getting some details of how Obamacare will actually work, which have been sorely lacking since the scheme became law in 2010. The government says the typical monthly premium for a mid-range insurance plan under Obamacare will average about $328, depending on what state you live in. People with incomes close to the poverty line will get the best deal, as intended. Americans between 19 and 25 already seem to be taking advantage of a provision allowing them to remain on their parents’ health insurance, which has been in effect for two years and has led to a big drop in the uninsured rate for that age group.

Related: Grading

Midnight Monday, Sept. 30: that’s the deadline for Congress to sign off on a budget deal. If compromises cannot be made, federal agencies will be forced to close temporarily and non-essential government staffers would stay home from work.

Related: 5 Ways a Government Shutdown Would Affect You

“This will come down to the wire,” says Yahoo Finance political reporter Chris Moody. “But I really don’t think there will be a shutdown.”

The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Congress flirted with a shutdown in April 2011 before agreeing to a continuing spending resolution. In December 1995 the government closed for 28 days until the spending standoff between President Bill Clinton and Republican leaders in Congress ended.

But the budget crisis may be the least of lawmakers’ concerns, notes Moody.

“The bigger fight is over the debt ceiling…and House Republicans have been preparing for this for a long time,” he tells The Daily Ticker.

Currently the nation’s borrowing limit stands at $16.7 trillion.