According to a report released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services on Dec. 30, a total of 22,618 people in Montana selected health care insurance plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the Dec. 15 deadline for coverage beginning Jan. 1.

About 85 percent of Montanans who selected health insurance plans in the first month of open enrollment were determined eligible for financial assistance to lower their monthly premiums, compared to 83 percent who selected plans over a similar period last year, HHS reported.

Of the 22,618 Montanans who selected a plan, 58 percent re-enrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2015, and 42 percent signed up for the first time. The Dec. 30 report provides the first detailed analysis of enrollment in the Marketplaces for the first month of the 2015 open enrollment period.

But because the automatic re-enrollment process for the 37 states using the HealthCare.gov platform — including Montana — began on Dec. 16 and was completed for the vast majority of consumers on Dec. 18, the report with data through Dec. 15 does not fully capture the number of people who selected plans leading up to the deadline for Jan. 1 coverage.  

“We’re pleased that in Montana, 22,618 people signed up for Marketplace coverage during the first month of open enrollment,” HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said. “The vast majority were able to lower their costs even further by getting tax credits, making a difference in the bottom lines of so many families.”

Burwell said interest in the Marketplace has been strong during the first month of open enrollment.

“We still have a ways to go and a lot of work to do before February 15, but this is an encouraging start,” she said.

Nationwide, more than 4 million people signed up for the first time or re-enrolled in coverage for 2015 during the first month of open enrollment. That includes more than 3.4 million people who selected a plan in the 37 states that are using the HealthCare.gov platform for 2015 — including Montana — and more than 600,000 consumers who selected plans in the 14 states that are operating their own Marketplace platform for 2015.  

Consumers can find local help online at Localhelp.healthcare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596. TTY users should call 1-855- 889-4325. Translation services are available. The call is free.