Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star on federal health care insurance:

It’s down to the wire, folks. Under the new federal health care law, March 31 is the deadline for signing up for health insurance, either through the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov., or from a private insurer.

If you aren’t insured through an employer, or don’t already have an individual policy, you have compelling reasons to act quickly …

… Going uninsured will cost you. The law requires a tax penalty for remaining uncovered. Depending on your income, you could end up paying anywhere from $95 as a single adult to as much as $10,150. A single person whose modified adjusted gross income is $35,000 a year would be liable for a $249 penalty. And you get nothing for your money …

Yes, Obamacare has been controversial. But it is the law, and millions of Americans are benefiting from it.

Even critics appreciate the law’s consumer protections, especially a prohibition against insurers refusing affordable policies to consumers with pre-existing health conditions. And the only way to guarantee affordable coverage to sick people is to recruit healthy people into the insurance pool … Unfortunately, signing up for insurance on the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov, isn’t as simple as officials initially promised. It’s especially tricky for people who aren’t computer-savvy.