Insurance sign-ups continue to increase under health care law

WASHINGTON – Health insurance sign-ups under President Barack Obama’s health care law have continued to surge, as more than 1.1 million Americans selected a private plan in January on new marketplaces created by the law.

That brings to nearly 3.3 million the number of Americans who have enrolled in coverage since the marketplaces opened in October, according to data released by the Obama administration.

The national total was still short of the administration’s goal of 4.4 million enrolled by the end of January.

It remains unclear how many people who have selected a health plan have actually paid and how many did not have insurance previously. But the latest report provides new evidence that the marketplaces are gaining traction after a disastrous launch last fall.

The new data also suggest that more young people are coming to the marketplaces: 27 percent of consumers who signed up for a plan in January were between 18 and 34 years old, compared with 24 percent in the prior three months.

Enrolling younger people, who are typically healthier, is considered critical to the success of the marketplaces because healthier consumers, who cost less, help balance insurer risk. That is necessary to control insurance premiums.

At the same time, a new national survey indicates that the share of Americans with health coverage rose to the highest point since the recession in 2008. Sixteen percent of Americans lacked coverage in January, compared with 18 percent last year, according to the Gallup poll.

Pollsters cautioned that the measure of insurance coverage is volatile, but they noted that if the trend continues, it may suggest the health law is having an impact.

Administration officials hailed the latest numbers as evidence that the law is working.

“These encouraging trends show that more Americans are enrolling every day and finding quality, affordable coverage,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.