More than 1 million people chose Obamacare plans in the first two weeks of open enrollment, even as a new Republican-led federal government is threatening to repeal the program next year.
The signups on healthcare.gov, used by residents in 38 states and the District of Columbia, include about 250,000 new customers and more than 750,000 renewing their coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Open enrollment started on Nov. 1 and will continue until Jan. 31.
The signups are continuing despite the election of Donald Trump as president, who made repealing Obamacare a major priority in his campaign.
Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress has made repealing the healthcare law a priority in January when he assumes the presidency. However, what that means for the 2017 coverage year remains to be seen.
A repeal bill that got through the House and Senate last year includes a two-year transition period that would keep the marketplace intact while a replacement is created. But the new Republican Congress and the Trump administration may choose a different repeal method.
The Obama administration is still pushing for people to sign up. It pointed to 100,000 signups or more on healthcare.gov the day after the election.
The pace continued on Nov. 9, as more than 300,000 people signed up from Nov. 9 to Nov. 11.
“The American people are demonstrating how much they continue to want and need the coverage the marketplace offers,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell in a statement Wednesday.
CMS said there were 53,000 more plan selections during the first 12 days of open enrollment this year than last year.
