The second open enrollment period of Healthcare.gov and state-based health insurance marketplaces accrued 11.4 million enrollees, with the final day recording the most signups than any previous open enrollment day.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) disclosed enrollment figures for the final week of the second enrollment period -- between Feb. 7 and Feb. 15. On Healthcare.gov, responsible for 37 states without a state-based marketplace, the HHS stated 1,048,202 plan selections were made or automatically renewed, which represents the "preliminary total of those who have submitted an application and selected the plan that best fits their needs."

Since the second open enrollment period started on Nov. 14, 2014, the federal marketplace received 8,797,577 plan selections; however, the HHS noted at least 200,000 individuals are expected to be removed due to consumers not providing necessary documentation of their citizenship or immigration status.

With the state-based marketplaces, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said 11.4 million consumers selected or automatically renewed their health insurance plan during the second open enrollment period.

"We had a strong open enrollment," Burwell said in a statement, noting the estimated 11.4 million Americans who enrolled for health coverage. "And in the final day, more new consumers signed up for health coverage than on any other day this Open Enrollment or last."

According to Burwell, in the 37 states using HealthCare.gov, nearly 8 in 10 consumers had the option of obtaining health coverage for as little as $100 a month or less with financial assistance that lowered the cost of their monthly premium.

"The Affordable Care Act is now an important part of the everyday lives of millions of Americans. They finally have the financial and health security that comes with affordable health coverage. They now can fill prescriptions and take their children to the doctor. Some no longer have to choose between paying for health care and paying their utility bill. While we have more work to do, the numbers tell the story, and the story is clear. The Affordable Care Act is working, and families, businesses, and taxpayers are all better off as a result," Burwell said.

With the influx of plan selections during the final week, calls for an English-and-Spanish-speaking representative significantly increased. For an English-speaking representative, the average wait time was 22 minute and 41 seconds, and since Nov. 15, the federal marketplace's call center received 14.4 million calls. The Spanish-language call center received 1.38 million calls since Nov. 15, including 274,588 calls during the final week. The average wait time for a Spanish-speaking representative increased to six minutes and 21 seconds, which is an increase from the 22-second-average-wait time from the previous week.

Visits to Healthcare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov also increased. During the 13th week of the second open enrollment period, Healthcare.gov attracted nearly 6.2 million users while CuidadoDeSalud.gov garnered 226,995 users. Since Nov. 15, Healthcare.gov accumulated more than 32.5 million users, and nearly 1.3 million for the Spanish-language website.

Florida and Texas, two states with large Latino populations and among the 37 states without a state-based marketplace, are responsible for the most health insurance signups during the second open enrollment period. The HHS revealed Floridians were responsible for 1.6 million plan selections, which is the highest of all 37 states. Texas ranked second with approximately 1.19 million plan selections. The Lone Star State saw a 17 percent growth rate between the final two weeks of open enrollment. Nevada, however, saw the fastest plan-selection growth rate between Week 12 and Week 13 with 21 percent, although its cumulative plan selections is lower than Florida and Texas, with 72,127.

"We are thrilled that 11.4 million people are enrolled in a quality, affordable health insurance plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace," said Annette Raveneau, national Latino press secretary for Enroll America, a nonprofit organization that engaged in the open enrollment process.

"This clearly demonstrates the need and desire for coverage and we are very proud of all our partners and volunteers who helped us reach as many Americans as possible to let them know about their health care options, of the free in-person assistance available to them and that a large percentage of uninsured Americans may qualify for financial assistance to help they pay for their monthly premiums," added Raveneau, in a statement to Latin Post.

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