The second open enrollment period of HealthCare.gov, and its Spanish-language website, has accrued more than one million consumers, days before its first initial deadline.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released statistics of its third open enrollment period week, between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5. The HHS noted 618,548 plans were selected during the third week, and it increased its three-week totals, from Nov. 15 to Dec. 5, to 1,383,683 plans selected.

According to HHS, plan selections were up 33 percent compared to the first week of open enrollment between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21, and double the rate from Thanksgiving week. As Latin Post reported, 303,010 plans were selected during Thanksgiving week, or Nov. 22 through Nov. 28, while the first week accounted for 462,125 plan selections.

The data for the third open enrollment period comes as the first deadline approaches for individuals seeking to receive health insurance starting Jan. 1, 2015. The initial deadline is on Dec. 15. The overall deadline for the second open enrollment period is Feb. 15.

"Open enrollment's momentum is building, and I've seen that firsthand as I traveled the country and talked to people -- from Florida to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Texas," said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. "With less than a week left to sign up for coverage that starts Jan. 1, we're encouraging new and returning consumers to visit HealthCare.gov, call the call center or get in touch with a local assister by Dec. 15. With more issuers this year, it pays to shop for the best deal."

HealthCare.gov's call center volume also increased compared to the second week, from 484,867 calls to 982,022 calls during the third week. The call center totaled 2,536,574 calls during the three weeks.

Calls for Spanish-speaking representatives also increased from 47,190 calls in week two to 87,534 calls during week three. The call rate for a Spanish-speaking representative is still down from week one's high of 101,864 calls. The average wait time for a Spanish-speaking wait time (12 seconds) is significantly lower compared to an English-speaking representative (3 minutes and 11 seconds), during week three.

Website visits to HealthCare.gov and the Spanish-equivalent CuidadoDeSalud.gov increased from week two's drops. The English-language website had 3,023,301 users during week three, which brought its three-week totals to 7,942,195. Visits to CuidadoDeSalud.gov are low compared to HealthCare.gov. The Spanish-language website encountered 98,336 users visiting during week three, an increase from 64,170 users on Thanksgiving week. Overall, 244,016 users visited CuidadoDeSalud.gov since the second open enrollment period began on Nov. 15.

People who applied for health insurance during the first open enrollment period, which ran between October 2013 to April 2014, are advised to update and renew their insurance plans as new insurers have been added and costs may have been adjusted. According to the HHS, "Most consumers who do not take action before the deadline will be automatically enrolled by their insurance company into their current plan or a plan with similar benefits."

The federal HealthCare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov are available for states without state-level health insurance marketplace exchanges. The HHS noted 37 states use the federal marketplace: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Obtaining health insurance from HealthCare.gov is only valid for U.S. citizens still living within the country. Individuals who chose not to receive health insurance will pay a higher penalty fee for 2015 than the rate set in 2014. For 2015's rates, the penalty is 2 percent of the individual's income or $325 per adult and $162.50 per child, "whichever is more."

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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