A victorious day for Obama, yet only 12.5% of Americans could tell you why (theexaminer.com)

But what's disgraceful for everybody is that only 1 in 8 Americans are aware that Tuesday is the kickoff of President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Kaiser Family Foundation found in the same poll that public awareness "of many of the law’s key provisions has not increased since 2010."  The main complaint of those polled was that there is no single definitive source they could turn to for information.

Yikes. It's a dismal state of affairs in the midst of the launch of a decidedly confounding law. Rather than trying to explain the complex directive to the American people, President Obama has spent his time vigorously defending what Senator Max Baucus deemed a "train wreck." Informing the public as to how the act will affect American families has been superseded by partisan theatrics in Washington. 

Allow us to make Obamacare intelligible for you. Basically, it guarantees every single American coverage. Its main goal is to transform the insurance market for people who don't receive benefits at work.

The law will provide subsidized health insurance based on income through the new exchanges in 50 states and expand Medicaid coverage for the poor. It is considered the largest extension of federal health care benefits since Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965.

All Americans are required to have health care by January 1, 2014, or else face financial penalties. The fine will be $95 per uninsured adult or 1 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater. The penalties will increase with each uninsured year that goes by.

However, 85 percent of the population already gets health insurance through their employer or have Medicare or Medicaid, and thus have nothing to worry about today.

If you are not among the 85 percent, you are now free to sign up for Obamacare. Go to HealthCare.gov, the official federal site for enrollment. If you need help with the process, every state has "navigators" that will answer questions and get you signed up. 

However, we don't recommend that you enroll today. You have six months to do so, and a barrage of eager beavers will be logging on. Technical glitches have already stalled the launch -- the Department of Health and Human Services said more than 1 million people have visited HealthCare.gov in the past day. The snags are expected to contribute to a slow start to enrollment and may provide fodder for Republicans hoping to see Obamacare fail.

Today may not be the best day for Republicans, but Obama and his supporters ought to be fired up and ready to go. 

Reach Health & Fitness Editor Madeline Morris here. Follow her on Twitter.