Arkansas officials say more than 33,500 people have signed up for the health insurance exchange set up under the federal health law, well below the numbers they hoped to see before the enrollment deadline next week.
State officials on Thursday said the signup for the exchange, a marketplace where consumers can select health plans, has lagged in comparison to enrollments in the state's "private option" compromise Medicaid expansion.
More than 106,000 people have signed up for the private option, the state's program using federal Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for the poor.
The private option was approved last year as an alternative to expanding Medicaid under the federal health law. The Legislature voted earlier this month to reauthorize the program for another year.
