I guess one great thing is that people who were not insurable before are now insurable at a resonable cost. Any of us could have been in their situation, so compared to that, it's all good.
In Texas everyone had been insurable if you kept your coverage active. That could involve switching to the Texas High Risk Pool. Similar high risk pools I thought were available in all 50 states. I've not known anyone in Texas over 50 that could get any other policy without substantial exceptions. Who wants HI that doesn't cover heart attacks and strokes?
The cost for a single individual age 62 was $7,500/yr with a $7,500 deductible. There were no family plans. A couple had to get two individual plans. The comparable costs for the new exchange plans are not drastically lower from the limited information I've seen. I'm waiting for the rush to settle down before looking at plans.