Total Sign-ups For Obama Health Plans Estimated at 2 Million

HONOLULU (AP) — The Obama administration says a December surge has propelled health insurance sign-ups through the federal government's website past the 1 million mark.

Independent experts say when numbers for state-run markets are reported, the combined enrollment should total at about 2 million people. That would be about two-thirds of the administration's original goal of signing up 3.3 million by Dec. 31.

The numbers represent a significant improvement given the technical problems that crippled the federal market during much of the fall. The overall goal remains to enroll 7 million people by March 31.

That's prompted Congressman Darrell Issa to concede: "Obamacare is a reality." The California Republican has been a prominent opponent of the president's signature health care law. Appearing on NBC's "Meet The Press," Issa predicted that the program's subsidies would lead middle class people to look at health care in "a Third World way" and pile on costs.