HealthCare.Gov Passes 1 Million Enrollments

HealthCare.gov, the struggling federal health care startup, finally cleared 1 million users in the month of December, federal officials have announced, acknowledging a milestone that falls short of original goals.

Over the last three months, from October 1 to December 24, more than 1.1 million people enrolled in a new qualified health care plan using HealthCare.gov, Marilyn Tavenner, the head of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced Sunday. The numbers break down probably won't surprise you if you have followed these stories closely: more than 975,000 enrolled in December alone. Part of that surge in sign-ups — only 27,000 enrolled in October, or 137,000 in November — can be attributed to the now (mostly) functional website, and the panic to sign up before the first coverage deadline. 

The administration originally planned to have 7 million people registered for federal healthcare by the end of March. That goal seems lofty now, as they may not even clear half of that at the rate registrations are going. 

The numbers announced Sunday don't include those signed up through the 14 state-run exchanges.

Read the full story at TheWire.com.