HealthCare.gov sign-ups grow in week three of 2015 enrollment: Government

[December 11, 2014]  (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Wednesday that 618,548 individuals selected a 2015 health plan on HealthCare.Gov during the week of Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, of which 48 percent were consumers who had not previously purchased this insurance.

HealthCare.gov is a website created under the national healthcare reform law that sells health plans to individuals and provides income-based subsidies. Enrollment opened for 2015 plans on Nov. 15. More than 7 million people signed up for this insurance in 2014 and the government expects more than 9 million to enroll in 2015.

Since Nov. 15, 1,383,683 people have signed up for plans and of them, more than 664,000 were new consumers who did not previously have a plan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on its website.

Last year Healthcare.gov was hobbled by technology problems that stopped consumers from shopping during the early months. In the first three weeks after opening for enrollment for 2015, HealthCare.gov has had nearly 8 million users, the agency said.

(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Diane Craft)

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