By Christopher Snowbeck

Minneapolis Star Tribune

MNsure continues to sign up people for commercial health insurance policies this fall at a faster rate than last year.

During the first 11 days of open enrollment, more than 4,300 people obtained private coverage through the exchange, Jenni Bowring-McDonough, a MNsure spokeswoman, said Wednesday.

Last year, it took nearly two months to enroll that many people in commercial insurance.

Currently, about 50,000 people have private coverage through MNsure. The health exchange budget anticipates the number will grow to 100,000 by the end of next year, but officials have said the projection could be revised in December.

People use MNsure to buy individual and family coverage, as well as to enroll in the state’s public health insurance programs. Between the start of open enrollment on Nov. 15 and Wednesday morning, nearly 2,000 people used the exchange to enroll in MinnesotaCare, while 6,476 people enrolled in Medical Assistance, which is Minnesota’s version of the federal Medicaid program.

Across all three groups, 12,812 people have obtained coverage during the current open enrollment period, Bowring-McDonough said. During the first two weeks of open enrollment last year, fewer than 4,000 signed up for coverage across the three groups.

Minnesota began the MNsure health exchange last year to implement the federal Affordable Care Act. The exchange’s second open enrollment period lasts through February.

Also Wednesday, the federal government reported that more than 462,000 people selected a private insurance plan in the first week of 2015 enrollment through the online marketplace HealthCare.gov. The federal website serves as the exchange for 37 states including Wisconsin.

—Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.