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The Obama administration says more than 543,000 people signed up for coverage last week under the president's health care law, as the 2016 enrollment season got underway. Premiums are going up for many plans, and consumers are being urged to shop around. The health care law offers subsidized private insurance for those who don't have coverage through their jobs. The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that returning customers accounted for about two-thirds of those picking a plan for next year. (11/12)

More than a half million people selected health plans during the first week of open enrollment on the federal insurance site HealthCare.gov, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday. HealthCare.gov is used by consumers in 38 states that didn't establish their own insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. (O'Donnell, 11/12)

Compared with a year ago, more Americans signed up for health plans during the opening week of the enrollment season on the federal insurance exchange, although the number of first-time customers lagged. About 553,000 consumers chose insurance plans through HealthCare.gov between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7, according to federal figures. ... The smaller share of newcomers is consistent with recent predictions by federal health officials and outside health-policy experts that attracting additional uninsured Americans to HealthCare.gov would prove more difficult. (Goldstein, 11/12)

Efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act have become snarled in the complex rules of the Senate, raising questions about whether the Republican-controlled Congress can fulfill its pledge to send a repeal measure to President Obama. Repealing the law, passed five and a half years ago, is a goal cherished by Republican politicians, including those running for president, and by elements of the party’s base. Mr. Obama has repeatedly vowed to use his veto power if necessary to preserve the health care law, the biggest change in domestic social policy in a generation. (Pear, 11/12)

Ohio's rate of uninsured residents has dropped significantly under the Affordable Care Act, but the law is still not reaching many people of color, according to a new study. The uninsured rate among blacks in Ohio is nearly 33 percent higher than it is for whites; it is nearly 57 percent higher for Hispanics than for whites, according to a study by WalletHub, a consumer information company. (Ross, 11/12)

A new center on International Drive is hoping to help more Central Floridians sign up for insurance coverage during the third enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act. SRA International, a federal contractor, has opened the Orlando Enrollment Assistance Center at 5628 International Drive. Trained enrollment specialists will help individuals and families review their coverage options and find out if they quality for financial assistance. (Miller, 11/12)