Only 1,150 Ohioans enrolled through federal marketplace in first month

Just 1,150 Ohioans bought health insurance through the newly launched federal exchange during its first month of operation, according to numbers released by federal officials Wednesday (Source: “Only 1,150 Ohioans signed up for Obamacare in October,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Nov. 14, 2013).

According to a Department of Health and Human Services issue brief, nationally, just 26,794 plans were sold through  healthcare.gov between Oct. 1 and Nov. 2. The federal site hosts new health insurance marketplaces for 33 states.

The remaining 17 states collectively outperformed the federal site with 79,391 plans sold. All told, 106,185 plans were sold through the federal and state exchanges during the first month, far below the Obama administration’s initial estimate of 500,000 people by the end of October.