More than two million enrolled in Obamacare
Posted: Jan 6, 2015 2:07 PM CDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 1:09 PM CDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than two million people will have health insurance under Obamacare at the start of 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday.
The figure made public in a department statement includes people who have signed up through federal and state marketplaces set up under the politically charged health care reforms championed by President Barack Obama.
The figure is below the target of three million the Obama administration originally set for the end of December, which is halfway through the initial six-month enrollment period.
For the first time, Americans will be required to have health coverage or face a fine.
The botched rollout of the new marketplaces on October 1, when the HealthCare.gov website set up to handle the enrollment failed to work properly, harmed the sign-up process until the system began working better in early December, officials said.