AUGUSTA, Maine - Federal officials say that more than 36,000 Maine residents have signed up for plans on the health exchange in the first month of open enrollment.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service said Tuesday that 39 percent of the 36,132 residents who selected plans have signed up for the first time. Sixty-one percent have re-enrolled on the exchange after buying a plan during the last open session.
The report covers enrollments from Nov. 15 through Dec. 15. The open enrollment period lasts through Feb. 15.
Officials say that about 89 percent of the people who selected plans that month were eligible for federal tax credits to help them pay for their plans.
More than 44,000 Maine residents signed up during last year's six-month enrollment period.