Feds: More Than 7K Illinoisans Select Health Plans

Federal officials say more than 7,000 Illinois residents signed up for insurance coverage in the first two months of the troubled HealthCare.gov website.

Enrollment figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show the pace picking up for President Barack Obama's new health insurance markets. 

But the Illinois tally is still less than 30 percent of what federal officials originally projected the state's enrollment would be after two months. Illinois is relying on the federal website because the Legislature didn't approve a state-run marketplace

Consumers face a Dec. 23 enrollment deadline if they want to have coverage to start Jan. 1. 
 
In October, when the website was barely working, only 1,370 Illinois residents managed to select a health insurance plan and enroll.

UPDATE: The federal government says nearly 3,500 Indiana residents chose a health insurance plan through the federally run online exchange during its first two months of operation.

The figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show 3,492 Indiana residents chose a health care plan between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30. That's about five times the number who chose a plan during the federal exchange's glitch-plagued first month of operation.