Calif. exchange enrolls 7,100 a day, but Latinos lag

More than 156,000 have selected plans in California's online health insurance exchange, officials said, but some enrollees have not gotten confirmation from insurers, which means their policies may not start Jan. 1.

Los Angeles Time: California's Health Exchange Enrolls 159,000 But Few Latinos Turn Out
California's insurance exchange said 159,000 people have enrolled in private health plans through early December, but very few Latinos are signing up. In figures released Thursday, the Covered California exchange also said 179,000 people appear likely to qualify for an expansion of Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program for the poor (Terhune, 12/12). 

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Californians Continuing To Flock To New Insurance Exchange
Enrollment in California's new health insurance marketplace is picking up speed, with more than 156,000 signed up for coverage through last week, officials announced Thursday. Nearly a third of the enrollees -- 49,700 -- completed their applications during the first week of December (Gorman, 12/13).

Los Angeles Times: Many Who Enrolled In Health Plans Still Await Confirmation
Thousands of Californians have overcome long waits and website glitches to sign up for Obamacare insurance, but now enrollment snags may prevent some of them from actually having coverage starting Jan. 1. Some people who picked a health plan as far back as October through the Covered California exchange say insurers are telling them they still have no record of their enrollment. As a result, bills haven't gone out and consumers can't pay their initial premium to ensure coverage takes effect in less than three weeks (Terhune, 12/12). 

The Sacramento Bee: Momentum High For State Exchange As Some Demographics Lag
Two months into its launch, 109,296 Californians have enrolled in health coverage through the state's new insurance marketplace, officials said Thursday. The figures, which came a day after the latest federal release, show the exchange is steadily increasing enrollment even as it struggles to reach certain demographics. In the first week of December, 144,000 Californians completed applications and 49,708 enrolled in a plan -- a rate of 7,100 per day or 15 times the agency's initial rate (Cadelago, 12/12). 

The San Jose Mercury News: Obamacare: Californians Signing Up At A Stunning Rate
In the first week of December, Californians signed up for private health insurance on the state's new online exchange at nearly three times the rate as the first week of last month, figures released Thursday showed. Almost 50,000 individuals signed up through Dec. 7 at a stunning rate of 7,100 per day, according to the exchange, called Covered California. Since the marketplace was launched on Oct. 1, at least 156,143 people have signed up. That means roughly a third of the people who enrolled nationally have done so through California's website (Seipel, 12/12).