More than 15 million people have signed up for health insurance plans offered on the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplace, a 33% increase compared with the same time last year, according to preliminary data released by the Biden administration Wednesday.

Federal health officials project that more than 19 million people will enroll in 2024 coverage by the end of the current enrollment period next month. That total would include those who gain coverage through state marketplaces, continuing the record-setting pace.

In Minnesota, 132,789 individuals signed up for 2024 health insurance through the MNsure state marketplace, which marked its 10th anniversary this year.

The Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 registrations set a new early enrollment record for the marketplace.

Despite a recent warning from former President Donald Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, that he was “seriously looking at alternatives” to the Affordable Care Act, the latest surge in marketplace enrollment is a testament to the law’s enduring power.

Legislation passed earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic increased federal subsidies for people buying plans, lowering the costs for many Americans. The Biden administration also lengthened the sign-up period and increased advertising for the program and funding for so-called navigators who help people enroll.

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