Over 2,500 South Dakota Residents Sign Up with Exchange

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — More than 2,500 South Dakotans have signed up for health insurance on the new federal exchange that's part of President Barack Obama's health care law.

Avera insurance plans chief administrative officer Debra Muller tells the Argus Leader that she thinks the new law is helping people who needed the help.

Most of those who have enrolled have qualified for some level of subsidy in which tax money will help pay for coverage under provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The law seeks to provide more people with insurance through subsidized private insurance offered through online marketplaces called exchanges. Individuals had faced a deadline to enroll by Monday to be covered Jan. 1, but the federal government extended the deadline by 24 hours.

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