Next week, Minnesotans will adapt to the long-debated health care reform rules under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. In Minnesota, we all will have new health insurance options in the form of MNsure, the health care exchange that will offer 141 individual, family and business plans for residents who will be mandated to have insurance from now on.

Like almost everything else in government, there are going to be complications. It is important for residents to educate themselves on MNsure, regardless of their feelings on the new health care laws.

It takes a massive amount of time and energy to enact the sort of systemic change we will soon face. Government action is never swift, and large-scale shifts in laws are never tidy. State and federal officials have cautioned people for weeks on the changes, as there will certainly be hiccups in the system.

Proponents of the new health care mandates are attempting to quell frustration before it starts, while critics are getting ready to point out all of MNsure’s failures as they happen.

Residents shouldn’t pay attention to the fight.

What they should pay attention to are the changes in our health care laws. The new health insurance policies are incredibly complicated and likely will be tailored to each individual or family based on their circumstances. That leaves a lot of room for error, and it’s important people know as much as possible about their health care when the switches happen. Politics won’t pay immediate hospital bills, but your new health insurance plan might.

It’s important for you, dear reader, to learn as much as possible about MNsure from independent sources who can offer sound advice without partisan beliefs. Consult credible media outlets, ask your insurance agent, contact MNsure officials, even ask your resident human resource specialist. These changes are massive in scope, and it will take a massive amount of understanding and patience to navigate them, as these laws won’t go away any time soon.

Whether MNsure or Obamacare is right for our country is a separate issue and is irrelevant to the average person trying to adapt to health care changes. That can wait, but your insurance plan can’t. Please, for your own sake, seek as much information on the changes to your health insurance as possible.