Maryland Falls Short Of Insurance Enrollment Goal

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Newly released figures show that Maryland fell far short of projections enrolling residents for private insurance through its troubled health exchange, even as national enrollment figures exceed expectations.

Numbers released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services show that 67,757 Marylanders have signed up for private insurance through under the Affordable Care Act. Last year, federal officials had projected that 150,000 Marylanders would enroll.

Maryland is one of 14 states that opted to create its own health insurance exchange, and it was plagued with problems as soon as it debuted in October.

Maryland officials decided last month to scrap the existing system and replace it with technology used to power Connecticut's health exchange.

State officials blamed contractors for failing to deliver what they promised.