White House Says Health Care Rolls Top Goal: 6 Million

WASHINGTON - The White House said on Thursday that more than six million people had signed up for medical insurance plans under President Obama's health care law, exceeding the administration's revised goal for enrollment by the Monday deadline.

Demand for new policies has surged in recent days as the open enrollment period draws to a close, the White House said, with 1.5 million visits to HealthCare.gov and 430,000 calls to the program's call centers on Wednesday alone. The enrollment figure is up from five million a week ago.

Mr. Obama, who was traveling in Italy, held a conference call to thank volunteers who are helping to enroll uninsured Americans, officials said.

'The president encouraged the navigators and volunteers to redouble their efforts over the next four days and leave no stone unturned in trying to bring affordable health coverage to as many Americans as possible,' White House officials said in describing the call.

Enrollment began in October. The administration recently scaled back its original estimate of signing up seven million people.

Republican lawmakers have played down the enrollment numbers and continued to press for an overhaul or a repeal of the law. Even some Democratic senators in competitive re-election races have prescribed changes to the law.

Some conservative commentators took to Twitter on Thursday to ask how many of the six million enrollees had paid their insurance premiums. The White House has not been willing to say.