Initial reports suggest that fewer than 50,000 people successfully navigated the troubled federal health-care website to enroll in private health insurance plans as of last week.
The early tally falls far short of internal goals set by President Barack Obama's administration in the months leading up to the opening of the HealthCare.gov site Oct. 1, and the low number has worried health insurers that are counting on higher turnout.
Technology problems and design flaws have blocked many users from completing insurance applications or creating accounts to use the site.
The administration had estimated that nearly 500,000 people would enroll in October, according to internal memos.
The federal health official directly responsible for the online marketplace told a congressional panel last week that the Department of Health and Human Services would release enrollment figures this week.
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