During the first week of the open-enrollment period, more than 540,000 people purchased insurance coverage through HealthCare.gov — up 20% from the first week of enrollment a year ago, HHS Sec. Sylvia Burwell wrote in a Nov. 12 blog titled, “A Solid Start.”

She noted that more than 9 million people are currently enrolled in an exchange-based plan, and said renewals are expected to make up a larger share of enrollment this year compared to a year ago. People new to exchanges accounted for about one-third of enrollment during the first week of November.

While exchanges and health plans have emphasized the importance of enrolling young and uninsured Latinos this fall, HHS reported that just 52,000 people contacted a Spanish-speaking representative during the opening week — about half the number who called during the same period a year ago. Thirty-eight states use HealthCare.gov.

See Burwell’s blog post at www.hhs.gov/blog/2015/11/12/solid-start.html.

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