13 December 2017 - More than one million people signed up last week for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, pushing the total in the federal marketplace to nearly 4.7 million, the Trump administration said Wednesday, days before the annual enrollment period is scheduled to end.

The number of sign-ups on HealthCare.gov from 1 November through Saturday was about 17% higher than the same time last year. But the final tally is likely to fall short of the 9.2 million who were in plans at the end of the last open enrolment period, which was twice as long as the current one.

Insurance counsellors around the country, who help consumers enrol, said they had seen a surge of activity despite sharp increases in premiums, a smaller selection of health plans and confusion about the future of the Affordable Care Act after a year in which Republicans have repeatedly tried to dismantle the law.

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