More than 560,000 people signed up for plans through the ObamaCare exchanges last week, the strongest total yet for this year’s open enrollment.
A total of 1.6 million people have signed up for plans since Nov. 1, the Obama administration announced Wednesday.
Thirty-five percent of sign-ups are new customers — a strong sign for health officials as they aim to lower the overall uninsured rate.
The Obama administration has set a goal of 10 million sign-ups, an increase of about 900,000 from last year.
That figure was lower than expected by many healthcare experts and is far lower than initial estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
In an interview last week with Bloomberg TV, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell dismissed claims that the enrollment is flatlining in its third year.
“The most important thing to focus on is the reduction of the number of the uninsured as a starting point,” Burwell said. “What we want to focus on is the reduction of the number of the uninsured. That’s really the outcome we want to focus on.”
This year’s open enrollment season lasts through Jan. 31.