During the first month of open enrollment, 106,185 people completed applications and selected a marketplace health plan through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges, according to an HHS report.
Of those who finished applications and selected plans from Oct. 1 to Nov. 2, 74.8 percent or 79,391 people enrolled through state-based exchanges, while 25.2 percent or 26,794 enrolled through the federal health insurance exchange site, HealthCare.gov, according to HHS.
Additionally, 975,407 people finished the application process and received an eligibility determination but hadn't selected a plan during the first reporting period of open enrollment. An additional 396,261 had been determined or assessed as eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program through the state-based and federal marketplaces.
Leading up to the report's release, policymakers and others have been asking the federal government to disclose PPACA enrollment numbers to gauge the effect of technical issues with the federal health insurance exchange site, HealthCare.gov. HHS officials have said the figures will be low and will increase with time.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journalreported people familiar with the matter placed the federal exchange enrollment numbers at under 50,000, falling far short of the 500,000 people the Obama administration previously estimated would enroll in October.
Since its launch last month, the federal exchange website has experienced numerous technical issues, such as people not being able to create accounts, frustrating consumers and drawing criticism from the healthcare reform law's opponents. Secretary Sebelius said HHS is working "around the clock" to fix the site. Federal officials have said it should run smoothly for the majority of users by the end of this month.
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