JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 148 Mississippi residents have selected coverage though a federally run health insurance website that launched Oct. 1.
Coverage is scheduled to begin Jan. 1 as part of the health overhaul President Barack Obama signed into law.
The federal agency released enrollment numbers Wednesday, and the figures reinforce what Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney told The Associated Press the day before. He said fewer than 150 in the state had signed up for coverage since the launch of the federal website, www.healthcare.gov , which has been beset by problems.
Chaney estimates that fewer than 500 people in Mississippi have been notified they’re losing existing health insurance coverage because the plans fail to offer all the benefits required by federal law.
