3.3M have signed up for health insurance

Wide disparities are emerging among U.S. states in health insurance sign-ups, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal enrollment statistics released Wednesday. Nearly 3.3 million people signed up between Oct. 1 and Feb. 1, with more than 1.1 million signing up through state and federal exchanges in January.

The January numbers represent a 53 percent increase from the previous three-month period, extending a turnaround from early days when a dysfunctional website frustrated consumers. Of those who enrolled in January, 27 percent were between the ages of 18 and 34, a crucial demographic that the Obama administration has been betting on to help fund the law and keep premiums low.

The health care law is President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement, and officials in his administration are determined to make it work after a disastrous rollout in October. Opposition Republicans say the measure has many flaws — and have tried to defund or delay the law on numerous occasions. They also plan to criticize Democrats for "Obamacare" in election campaigns leading to congressional voting in November.

Although Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says she's encouraged that the sign-up campaign is gaining ground, the government's initial target of 7 million by the end of March still seems like a stretch.

Also, officials are unable to say how many of those who signed up were previously uninsured — the ultimate test of Obama's hard-fought overhaul.

Beyond the stronger national numbers, the latest report shows huge differences and surprising twists at the state level.

Some Republican-led states whose elected officials strongly oppose the law are keeping pace with monthly targets that HHS established in September.

Some states where support for the law is strong are among the worst performers.

The AP's analysis compared the latest cumulative sign-up numbers for each state with targets spelled out in a Sept. 5 memo to Sebelius that the AP obtained months ago.

A dozen states have met or surpassed targets, including New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin. The first three have Democratic governors. The latter three are led by Republicans, and the federal government has had to take on the role of running the new insurance markets there.

Surprisingly, the worst performers include four jurisdictions where Obama's law has strong support: Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and the District of Columbia.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press