Low Federal Insurance Signup Numbers In Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – New figures show 25,554 Mississippi residents have signed up for private health insurance using a website run by the federal government. That’s far short of the original estimate of 46,400 for the first five months.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week released state-by-state health coverage enrollment figures for October through February.

Sixty-one percent of Mississippians who enrolled are women, and 39 percent are men. More than half are ages 45-64, while about a quarter are 18-34.

Ninety-three percent of the Mississippians who bought coverage on the healthcare.gov website qualified to receive government subsidies to help pay for the policies.

The online marketplaces, called health exchanges, were created by the health overhaul law signed by President Barack Obama. The initial enrollment period ends this month.