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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been under heavy fire by GOP opponents and others critical of the troubled open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier today, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that thousands individuals have selected health plans with nearly a million more waiting to select a plan under ACA guidelines.

SEE ALSO:  So, How Many People Have Enrolled In Obamacare, Again?

In the first reporting period, which calculated numbers between October 1 and November 2, 26, 876, 527 persons visited the Marketplace website at HealthCare.gov, with 3, 158, 436 individuals using the call center portion to inquire about the program and create accounts.

Other key numbers from the HHS’s issue brief include the following: 502,466 Americans are positioned to have health coverage in 2014; 106,185 Americans have Qualified Health Plans (QHP) from the state and federal Marketplaces, and 396,261 Americans have been determined or assessed eligible for Medicaid or CHIP; 975,407 have applied and received an eligibility determination but have not yet selected a plan.

SEE ALSO: “Face” of Obamacare Web Site Says She Was Cyberbullied

Secretary Sebelius noted her department’s success, but was careful to mention that improvements are being made to HealthCare.gov as enrollment continues to grow via the Marketplace.

“The promise of quality, affordable coverage is increasingly becoming reality for this first wave of applicants to the Health Insurance Marketplaces. There is no doubt the level of interest is strong. We expect enrollment will grow substantially throughout the next five months, mirroring the pattern that Massachusetts experienced. They’re also numbers that will grow as the website, HealthCare.gov, continues to make steady improvements.”

The report released today was compiled using data from all 50 states, including D.C. Read the full report here.

Just over 106,000 people have enrolled in health insurance plans, so far.  Take our poll, below.

Health Department Releases Enrollment Numbers For Insurance Marketplace [POLL]  was originally published on newsone.com