For the first time, the United States government has released enrollment information regarding the controversial new healthcare law commonly called Obamacare.
A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (.PDF) shows that more than 106,000 people have signed up for insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, the formal name for Obamacare, during the first month of enrollment. That's a fraction of a percent of the Congressional Budget Office projection of 7 million, and less than the 500,000 the administration expected to enroll during the first month, according to an internal memo.
See also: Obamacare Explained: How to Use the Internet for Health Care
The website for the federal insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, has been plagued by glitches, security flaws and other issues since the site's public launch on Oct. 1.
The majority of states, 34 in total, use of the federal website. The other 16 states, plus the District of Columbia, have state-specific exchanges.
These state exchanges have been more successful with enrollments. Of the 106,000 current enrollees, nearly 80,000 successfully used state-specific sites. California is leading the way with about 35,000 enrollees, followed by New York with about 16,000.
President Barack Obama expressed frustration and anger several weeks ago over the technical problems afflicting the website for his now-eponymous law, promising a "tech surge" to get the site working properly by the end of November. The government has since tapped specialists from top tech companies such as Google and Oracle, but reaching said deadline is now unlikely.
With few exceptions, most U.S. residents are required by law to have health insurance in 2014. The open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act plans is currently set to end on March 31. No plans, under the new law, begin prior to New Year's Day.
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