(CNN, March 27, 2014) — More than 6 million people have signed up for Obamacare, as a crush of people raced to get health insurance before the March 31 deadline.
Administration officials announced the milestone Thursday amid an intense outreach drive. There were more than 1.5 million visits to HealthCare.gov and more than 430,000 calls to the call centers on Wednesday.
Those who’ve started the application by next Monday but are unable to finish because of technical issues will receive more time to complete the process, officials have said.
Reaching 6 million is a symbolic victory for the Obama administration following the botched launch in October.
The Congressional Budget Office most recently estimated 6 million Americans would enroll in Obamacare in 2014, down from its initial 7 million projection.
The administration did not release a specific enrollment target, but adopted the CBO’s figure as a goal.
But just how many people fully enroll in the program this year remains to be seen. The latest figures reflect those picking plans, not paying their premiums. Only those who pay their first month’s premium are considered enrolled, while those who don’t pay have their policy selections canceled.
Insurers have said that the share of people sending in payments is in the 80% range.
