March 31 was the busiest day for New York's new health insurance marketplace. It was also the final day of the six month open enrollment period.
Almost 470,000 people visited the site and 39,000 signed up on that last day, according to the state's exchange, to bring the total to 926,000 enrolled.
Those newly covered signed up for a combination of the expanded federal Medicaid program, Child Health Plus, or a private provider.
The exchange is crediting its early success in enrollment with a functioning website, something the federal exchange was plagued with.
"In our very early days of operating the website, we saw that about 75 percent of the applications were coming in directly over the website, without an assister," said Donna Frescatore, the exchange's executive director.
In later months, Frescatore said, that's shifting.
"So I think it’s important we don’t think about a one-size-fits-all kind of application process," she said.
Four out of five of those who signed up for insurance will have coverage for the first time, Frescatore said. Those who started an application by March 31 but didn't complete it have until April 15 to do so.
