FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Federal officials say 10,597 North Dakotans have chosen health plans through the new insurance marketplace created by the nation's health care law, falling just shy of expectations.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report Thursday with enrollment figures that cover most of the open enrollment period that ended March 31.
The federal government had projected that 11,000 North Dakota residents would enroll during the six-month period.
Data show that 16,627 North Dakotans were found eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan, and 11,974 were eligible to receive financial assistance for those plans.
The health care law requires nearly every American to have insurance coverage or pay a tax penalty of either $95 or 1 percent of income, whichever is higher.