Video: 3 Insurers Sell Health Plans on Exchange in Miss.

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Three companies are selling health insurance in Mississippi through a federal website created under the health overhaul that President Barack Obama signed into law.

That’s up from two in the state last year.

A three-month annual enrollment period started Saturday for consumers seeking coverage through the online marketplace, or health exchange.

People can choose from more than one company in 77 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. The only places with a single company offering coverage on the federal website are along or near the Gulf Coast: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George and Stone counties.

About 61,500 Mississippi residents bought coverage during the first period of open enrollment a year ago. That was about 21 percent of the potential market.

Some people will qualify for federal subsidies that decrease their cost of coverage.